Asha Sharma named EVP and CEO of Microsoft Gaming as Phil Spencer retires
Microsoft has named asha sharma Executive Vice President and CEO, Microsoft Gaming, in a major leadership reshuffle that follows Phil Spencer’s decision to retire. The move places a seasoned product leader at the top of the company’s gaming arm as it enters its next phase of growth.
Asha Sharma to lead Microsoft Gaming
Asha Sharma will report directly to the company’s chief executive and takes stewardship of a gaming business that the company describes as reaching over 500 million monthly active users and marking its 25th year. Her appointment draws on experience scaling consumer platforms: she has served as Chief Operating Officer at Instacart and as a vice president at Meta, and most recently held a senior product leadership role at Microsoft focused on CoreAI. She joined Microsoft in 2024 and is also a board member of The Home Depot. Sharma’s remit will include aligning platform strategy, content, and community under a unified executive leadership structure.
Leadership shakeup: Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond and Matt Booty
Phil Spencer, after more than three decades with the company and 12 years leading the gaming division, has decided to retire. His tenure is credited with expanding the business across PC, mobile and cloud, nearly tripling its size, and guiding major acquisition activity. Spencer will remain involved through a transition period to support a smooth handoff to the new leadership.
In parallel changes, Matt Booty will become Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer, reporting to Asha Sharma. Booty’s promotion formalizes a content-first leadership path: under his stewardship the company’s studios and franchises will be central to the refreshed strategy. The leadership changes also include the departure of Xbox President Sarah Bond.
What this means for Xbox, content and strategy
The reorganization signals a renewed executive focus on marrying platform-scale product leadership with creative content stewardship. With Matt Booty accountable for content and Asha Sharma overseeing the broader gaming business, the company is positioning itself to emphasize both game development pipelines and platform innovation. The announced priorities include recommitting to core console fans and developers while investing in franchises and new ideas that resonate with players.
Next steps and what to watch
- Transition execution: Phil Spencer will continue to work with the new leadership to ensure continuity during the handoff.
- Content pipeline: Matt Booty’s new role places him at the center of studio coordination and franchise management.
- Platform integration: Asha Sharma’s background in scaling consumer platforms and product operations suggests an emphasis on aligning business models with long-term platform value.
These changes are presented as part of a deliberate succession plan and a broader intent to capture growth opportunities across hardware, content and community. Recent updates indicate details may continue to evolve as the new executive team settles into their roles.
