Microsoft announced a big leadership change in its gaming division. Asha Sharma is now the Executive Vice President and CEO of Microsoft Gaming, reporting directly to Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella.
This announcement comes at a special time. Xbox is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and Microsoft Gaming now has over 500 million monthly active users worldwide. The company is also a leading publisher across consoles, PC, mobile, and cloud platforms.
In a message to employees, Satya Nadella highlighted that gaming has always been a core part of Microsoft’s identity. From early hits like Flight Simulator to DirectX and today’s cloud-powered gaming, the company has kept evolving with technology and player needs. Nadella showed strong confidence in gaming as a key part of Microsoft’s consumer strategy and said Sharma’s global platform experience makes her the perfect leader for the next growth phase.
Before joining Microsoft, Sharma was Instacart’s Chief Operating Officer and held a senior leadership role at Meta. In the past two years at Microsoft, she has helped build and grow services that reach billions of users. Her experience in growing platforms and shaping business models will now guide Microsoft Gaming’s future.
As part of the change, Matt Booty has been promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer. He will report to Sharma and continue leading Microsoft’s nearly 40 game studios, including teams behind big franchises such as Halo, The Elder Scrolls, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Candy Crush, and Fallout.
This leadership change follows longtime Xbox head Phil Spencer’s decision to retire. He spent 38 years at Microsoft, including 12 years leading the gaming division. Under his leadership, Microsoft grew gaming across PC, mobile, and the cloud, nearly tripled the business, and completed major acquisitions such as Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax, and Minecraft. Spencer will remain an advisor through the summer to support the transition.
In her first message as CEO, Sharma shared three priorities: great games, returning Xbox’s focus to its core, and shaping the future of play. She emphasized that unforgettable stories, bold ideas, and human creativity must stay at the heart of gaming, even as AI and new business models change the industry. She was clear that games are art and should never become “soulless AI slop.”
As Microsoft Gaming moves into its next chapter, the company is focusing on both innovation and continuity, protecting its creative legacy while getting ready for the fast-changing future of interactive entertainment.
