Asha Sharma named EVP and CEO of Microsoft Gaming in leadership overhaul
Microsoft announced that asha sharma will become Executive Vice President and CEO of Microsoft Gaming, part of a broad leadership transition that follows the retirement of longtime gaming chief Phil Spencer. The move realigns content and platform leadership ahead of a planned, phased handoff.
Asha Sharma to lead Xbox
Satya Nadella shared internal communications saying Asha Sharma will report directly to him as Executive Vice President and CEO, Microsoft Gaming. The announcement highlighted Sharma’s recent tenure at the company and earlier roles as Chief Operating Officer at Instacart and a vice president at Meta. An internal note also described her as the current head of Microsoft’s CoreAI product and a board member of a major retailer; she joined Microsoft in 2024 and has spent the last two years with the company.
Executive reshuffle and notable departures
The leadership changes follow Phil Spencer’s decision to retire after a long career at the company; his time there spans 38 years, including 12 years leading the gaming business. Spencer’s retirement is set to take effect later in the week, and he will remain in an advisory capacity through the summer to support the transition. The reshuffle also includes the departure of another senior executive, who resigned amid the change in leadership.
Transition timing and next steps
Matt Booty will be promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer and will report to Asha Sharma, overseeing the company’s studio portfolio. The company’s gaming footprint includes nearly 40 studios across multiple internal groups and a portfolio of well-known franchises. Leadership communications emphasized a phased handoff, with Spencer staying on temporarily to ensure continuity across studios, teams, and product plans.
Sharma’s early commitments, outlined in internal remarks, center on three priorities: ensuring great games, empowering studios, and recommitting to core platform fans—beginning with renewed focus on console. Her stated approach frames content investment and platform stewardship as joint priorities for the newly aligned leadership team.
What this means for the business
The company noted a global reach of over 500 million monthly active users and described itself as a top publisher across multiple platforms. That scale, along with the consolidated studio portfolio and an appointed chief content officer, signals an intent to pair platform investment with studio-driven content. With Spencer remaining available during the summer advisory period, the handoff is positioned as deliberate rather than abrupt.
Key takeaways
- asha sharma named EVP and CEO of Microsoft Gaming and will report to Satya Nadella.
- Phil Spencer is retiring after 38 years and will advise through the summer to support transition.
- Matt Booty promoted to Chief Content Officer to oversee nearly 40 studios and franchise strategy.
The leadership changes set a clear management structure for the company’s gaming business and establish early strategic signals: prioritize great games, strengthen the console identity, and align content leadership under the new CEO as the organization moves into its next phase.
