Microsoft Taps Asha Sharma to Lead Gaming as Spencer Retires
Sharma takes charge of a gaming business spanning nearly 40 studios and over half a billion monthly players across console, PC, mobile and cloud.
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[Image source: Chetan Jha/MITSMR India]
Microsoft Corp. has appointed Asha Sharma as Executive Vice-President and Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Gaming, succeeding Phil Spencer, who will retire after nearly four decades at the company, including 12 years at the helm of its gaming division.
In a memo to employees published by Microsoft, Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said Sharma will report directly to him and will lead a division that “reaches over 500 million monthly active users” and ranks as a top publisher across console, PC, mobile and cloud.
“Gaming has been part of Microsoft from the start,” Nadella wrote, noting that Flight Simulator debuted before Windows and tracing a line from DirectX in the 1990s to today’s “accelerated compute era.” He described the opportunity ahead as “expansive” and reiterated, “I am long on gaming.”
Sharma joined Microsoft about two years ago and previously served as Chief Operating Officer at Instacart and a Vice-President at Meta.
Sharma, who steps into the role effective immediately, shared a message on X: “Today I begin my role as CEO of @Xbox. Here are my three commitments:
1/ GREAT games
2/ Return of @Xbox
3/ Future of play”
The Microsoft chief also promoted Matt Booty to Executive Vice-President and Chief Content Officer, reporting to Sharma.
Booty will oversee nearly 40 studios across Xbox, Bethesda, Activision Blizzard and King, spanning franchises including Halo, The Elder Scrolls, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Candy Crush and Fallout.
Meanwhile, Spencer, who began at Microsoft as an intern in 1988, said succession planning began last fall and that he will remain in an advisory role through the summer.
“I have full confidence in the leadership and creative momentum across our global studios,” he wrote. As part of the leadership reshuffle, Xbox President Sarah Bond will leave Microsoft. Spencer credited Bond with shaping the platform’s strategy, expanding Game Pass and cloud gaming, and guiding key hardware launches.
