In an unexpected bit of news, Xbox Game Studios boss Phil Spencer has announced that he’s retiring from Xbox.
Current President of Microsoft’s CoreAI product Asha Sharma will take over from Spencer who has spent 38 years at Microsoft and served as the Head of Xbox since 2014 and CEO of Microsoft Gaming following the Activision Blizzard acquisition reports IGN.
Posting on his personal LinkedIn account today, he says: “I’ve made the decision to retire and begin the next chapter of my life. It’s a milestone that’s given me a chance to reflect on the incredible journey I’ve been fortunate enough to share with so many of you.”
Spencer isn’t the only one out. Current Xbox President Sarah Bond is also reportedly stepping down as part of the shakeup over at Microsoft.
In a lengthy post on the Microsoft blog, the incoming Sharma says she has three core commitments to players – to make great games, to recommit to our core Xbox fans and players, and to build a “shared platform and tools that empower developers and players to create and share their own stories” and adding “As monetization and AI evolve and influence this future, we will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop”.
Spencer leaves behind what has been a turbulent time for Xbox which once stood atop during the Xbox 360 generation before hitting a roadblock with the Xbox One and then hitting issues with the current generation from forgoing exclusivity to the Activision Blizzard acquisition in particular heavily impacting the game industry.
