Asha Sharma named EVP and CEO of Microsoft Gaming as Phil Spencer Retires; Matt Booty Promoted
A corporate communication dated Feb 20, 2026 announced that asha sharma will become Executive Vice President and CEO, Microsoft Gaming, reporting to Satya Nadella. The move comes as the company marks Xbox’s 25th year and underscores a leadership transition that follows Phil Spencer’s decision to retire last year.
Asha Sharma promoted to lead Microsoft Gaming
The message states that asha sharma will assume the role of Executive Vice President and CEO, Microsoft Gaming, and will report to Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO. It notes Asha’s tenure of the last two years at the company and prior roles as Chief Operating Officer at Instacart and as a Vice President at Meta. Her experience is described as building and scaling services that reach billions and supporting consumer and developer ecosystems. The communication highlights her experience building and growing platforms, aligning business models to long-term value, and operating at global scale as core qualifications for leading the gaming business into its next era of growth.
Matt Booty named Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer, reporting to Asha Sharma
Matt Booty will become Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer and will report to Asha. The note emphasizes Matt’s lifelong commitment to games and to the people who make them, and credits his leadership with an expanded studio footprint for the company.
Studio footprint and marquee franchises
The communication describes the gaming group as having grown to span nearly 40 studios across Xbox, Bethesda, Activision Blizzard, and King. It lists flagship franchises tied to those studios, including:
- Halo
- The Elder Scrolls
- Call of Duty
- World of Warcraft
- Diablo
- Candy Crush
- Fallout
The memo frames the pairing of Asha’s consumer product leadership and Matt’s gaming depth as the right combination to advance platform innovation and the content pipeline.
Phil Spencer’s retirement and legacy
The announcement reiterates that Phil Spencer made the decision to retire last year. It highlights his 38 years at the company, including 12 years leading Gaming, and credits him with transforming the business and how it operates. Specific accomplishments credited in the communication include expanding reach across PC, mobile, and cloud; nearly tripling the size of the business; shaping strategy through the acquisitions of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax, and Minecraft; and strengthening culture across studios and platforms. The message thanks Phil for his leadership and partnership and states that he will continue working closely with Asha to ensure a smooth transition.
Scale, platform and player focus
The corporate note situates the move in the context of scale and opportunity: it cites more than 500 million monthly active users, calls the company a top publisher across all platforms, and points to ongoing innovation across gaming hardware, content, and community in service of creators and players. It also references gaming’s long history within the company, noting that Flight Simulator shipped before Windows and that there is a throughline from DirectX in the ’90s to the current accelerated-compute era.
Leadership tone and a personal reflection
The communication opens with leadership sharing the update and closes with a personal reflection on tenure at the company. Satya Nadella recalls walking through the company’s doors as an intern in June of 1988 and describes the experience as an "epic ride" and the privilege of a lifetime. The message also includes the fragment: "Last fall, I shared with Satya that I was thinking" — unclear in the provided context.
Short, unrelated item also present
Alongside the corporate communication was a separate, brief item titled "Error 418 - I am a teapot" that contained the lines: "Short and stout, this is my handle, this is my spout. " The nature of that item in relation to the leadership announcement is not explained in the provided context.
What’s next
The message asks readers to join in congratulating Asha and Matt on their new roles and in thanking Phil for his contributions. It frames the appointments as the start of a transition intended to capture future opportunity while remaining grounded in what players and creators value. Specific next steps and timelines for the transition are unclear in the provided context.
