Asha Sharma named EVP and CEO, Microsoft Gaming as Phil Spencer Retires
Feb 20, 2026 — Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, and members of his executive team shared communications with employees today announcing that Asha Sharma will become Executive Vice President and CEO, Microsoft Gaming. The appointment is framed as a leadership shift intended to guide the business into its next era of growth.
Asha Sharma steps in as Executive Vice President and CEO, Microsoft Gaming
Asha Sharma will report to Satya Nadella and has spent the last two years at Microsoft. Before that, she served as Chief Operating Officer at Instacart and as a Vice President at Meta. Over her career she has helped build and scale services that reach billions of people and that support thriving consumer and developer ecosystems. Nadella emphasized that she brings deep experience building and growing platforms, aligning business models to long-term value, and operating at global scale—qualities positioned as critical for leading the gaming business forward.
Matt Booty promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer
Matt Booty will become Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer, reporting to Asha Sharma. Nadella described Booty’s career as reflecting a lifelong commitment to games and to the people who make them. Under Booty’s leadership, Microsoft Gaming has grown to span nearly 40 studios across Xbox, Bethesda, Activision Blizzard, and King.
Studios, franchises and scale
The Microsoft Gaming portfolio named in the announcement includes nearly 40 studios across Xbox, Bethesda, Activision Blizzard, and King. The statement listed key franchises within that footprint: Halo, The Elder Scrolls, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Candy Crush, and Fallout. Leadership framed this creative base and content pipeline as central to future platform innovation and growth.
Platform reach and Xbox’s milestone
The communications noted that Xbox is celebrating its 25th year. Microsoft Gaming is described as reaching over 500 million monthly active users and as being a top publisher across all platforms. The business is said to continue innovating across gaming hardware, content, and community in service of creators and players everywhere. The message also referenced historical technology touchpoints: Flight Simulator shipped before Windows, and there is a through-line from DirectX in the ’90s to the accelerated‑compute era the company says it is now in.
Phil Spencer’s retirement and legacy
Last year, Phil Spencer made the decision to retire from the company, and succession planning followed. Nadella thanked Phil for his leadership and partnership. Over 38 years at Microsoft, including 12 years leading Gaming, Phil Spencer is credited with expanding reach across PC, mobile, and cloud; nearly tripling the size of the business; helping shape strategy through the acquisitions of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax, and Minecraft; and strengthening culture across studios and platforms. The announcement said Phil will continue working closely with Asha Sharma to ensure a smooth transition.
Leadership framing and final notes
Nadella framed the combination of Asha Sharma and Matt Booty as bringing consumer product leadership and gaming depth together to push platform innovation and the content pipeline forward. The communications urged employees to join in congratulating Asha and Matt and in thanking Phil for his contributions to the company and the industry. The note also reflected on a long tenure at the company: Nadella recalled walking through Microsoft’s doors as an intern in June of 1988 and described the experience as an "epic ride" and the privilege of a lifetime.
Last fall, I shared with Satya that I was thinking — unclear in the provided context.
Where the announcement leaves open next steps, the message highlighted extraordinary creative talent across studios and a global platform described as second to none. Transition details beyond the continued collaboration between Phil Spencer, Asha Sharma, and the executive team were not specified in the provided communications.
