Asha Sharma named EVP and CEO, Microsoft Gaming
Asha Sharma will become Executive Vice President and CEO of Microsoft Gaming, a corporate leadership change announced on Feb. 20, 2026, that follows the planned retirement of longtime Xbox chief Phil Spencer and a series of internal promotions. The appointment of asha sharma arrives as Xbox marks its 25th year and the gaming business reports more than 500 million monthly active users, framing the transition as a move to scale platform and content efforts.
Asha Sharma to lead Microsoft Gaming
The company announced that Asha Sharma will report to the CEO and take responsibility for Microsoft Gaming. Over the last two years at the company, leadership said she has worked on building and scaling consumer services; background material also notes prior roles at other major consumer platforms and service operators. The corporate message describes her experience in growing platforms and aligning business models as central to the role she will take on.
Leadership shuffle details
Phil Spencer, who spent more than 38 years at the company and 12 years leading the gaming organization, is retiring; his departure is effective Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. The communications state he will remain in an advisory capacity through the summer to help ensure a smooth handoff. Internal messages also indicate that Xbox President Sarah Bond has resigned as part of the broader transition.
Studio and content leadership
As part of the restructuring, Matt Booty will move into the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer and will report to Asha Sharma. Under his leadership, the gaming group has grown to encompass nearly 40 studios spanning Xbox, Bethesda, Activision Blizzard, and King. The studios named in the corporate material include franchises such as Halo, The Elder Scrolls, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Candy Crush, and Fallout.
Why this matters now
The timing of the change is framed around a growth agenda: Xbox’s 25th anniversary and a reported user base exceeding 500 million monthly active users are cited as indicators that the organization is moving into a phase focused on platform innovation and content scale. Leadership emphasized the combination of consumer product experience and gaming domain depth as key to advancing the platform and its content pipeline.
Near-term outlook and transition
Company communications say the new leadership will prioritize great games, recommitment to core Xbox fans and developers, and investments in studio creativity. With Phil Spencer staying on in an advisory role through the summer, the transition will be staged rather than immediate. Observables in the announcement—studio scale, franchise portfolio, and the stated user metrics—frame early benchmarks by which the new leadership’s progress is likely to be judged.
- Key takeaways: Asha Sharma named CEO; Phil Spencer retiring; Matt Booty promoted to Chief Content Officer.
