• Gaming Tech Microsoft Read Microsoft gaming CEO Asha Sharma’s first memo on the future of Xbox She’s promising ’the return of Xbox.' She’s promising ’the return of Xbox.' Link Share Gift Microsoft gaming boss Phil Spencer hasjust announced he’s leaving the companyafter 12 years leading Xbox and nearly 40 at Microsoft in total. • His replacement: Asha Sharma, formerlyhead of development for Microsoft’s AI enterprise teams. • Before that, she was COO of Instacart for three years, and spent four at Meta in charge of the company’s messaging apps. • What will Sharma do with Xbox? • Read for yourself in her first internal memo, which we’ve printed in full below. • Sharma says she is committed to “the return of Xbox,” games in “new categories and markets where we can add real value, grounded in what players care about most,” and that games will “always will be art, crafted by humans” while promising not to “flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop.” However, she also says that “monetization and AI will evolve and influence this future,” and it sounds like Microsoftwill still pursue Xbox Everywhere- she isn’t returning to the definition of Xbox as a physical box alone.
Article Summaries:
- Microsoft Gaming has announced a leadership change: Phil Spencer will step down after 12 years at Xbox, and Asha Sharma, formerly head of Microsoft’s AI enterprise teams and former COO of Instacart, will become CEO. In her inaugural memo, Sharma pledges a “return of Xbox,” emphasizing a renewed focus on console, PC, mobile, and cloud platforms while resisting an over‑reliance on AI‑generated content. She commits to delivering “great games” through investment in iconic franchises and bold new ideas, and to expanding into new categories that add real value for players. The memo signals a shift toward a broader, player‑centric strategy under Sharma’s leadership.
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