Xboxs new Chief Content Officer emphasizes the importance of first-party games to Microsoft, hinting that the gaming titan doesn't just want to move into publishing. Microsoft has seen some big changes to its main gaming brand in recent weeks, with several senior positions changing hands and a longtime face of the company saying goodbye. Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer officially announced his retirement, effective February 23, with Xbox president Sarah Bond also leaving her position at the same time. However, Xbox's leadership change has seen a variety of responses from the community.
Microsoft's big leadership shuffle has led to a lot of new faces for the Xbox division. Asha Sharma stepped in as the newest CEO of Microsoft Gaming following the departure of Phil Spencer, while Xbox also recently appointed Matt Booty as Chief Content Officer. The shift in Xbox's higher ups has already seen some worrying predictions from a former Xbox figurehead, with Xbox founder Seamus Blackley suggesting that Sharma's role will be to “slide Xbox gently into the night.” Now a recent interview with Matt Booty suggests that Blackley's fears may be unfounded.
Microsoft issues statement about potential layoffs following major Xbox leadership changes
A key Microsoft executive shares an official comment on the possibility of layoffs following major Xbox executive changes.
Xbox is fully committed to first-party gaming, says New CCO
In an interview with Windows Central, Xbox's new CCO, Matt Booty, made some bold statements about the future of the Microsoft Gaming brand. Booty suggests that Xbox's studios are “completely built around being first-party”, and claims that the company is “not built” to just act as a publisher without developing its own first-party. Booty claimed that Xbox is “not backing down” from being a first-party publisher, following recent shifts towards Xbox releasing some of its biggest franchises on other consoles. Matt Booty and CEO Asha Sharma both stressed that fans shouldn't expect to see drastic changes immediately, with Xbox executives working on the right approach for the Xbox brand.
Rearrange the cases in the correct US release order.
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Rearrange the cases in the correct US release order.
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The interview was accompanied by personal statements from Asha Sharma recently about the gaming company Xbox. Speaking in plain terms about recent fan concerns about Xbox pushing former first-party games to competing platforms, Sharma told a fan on Twitter to “hear you out”. Sharma also responded to fans who were concerned that Xbox might pursue heavier use of AI in games, saying she intends to keep “soulless AI slop” off the platform. Sharma also spoke of the intention of Microsoft's gaming division to “return to Xbox” and focus on improving its console brand.
While Sharma tried to ease fans' concerns, recent years have seen some of Xbox's biggest names go cross-platform. 2025 saw both Forza Horizon 5 and Gears of War: Reloaded step up to the PlayStation 5, next door Halo: Campaign Evolved which will bring the franchise to the PS5 for the first time in 2026. Xbox has even caught some employees for its transition to other consoles and PC, with Microsoft's “This is an Xbox” ad campaign reportedly unpopular internally. Xbox has yet to confirm any immediate changes to its strategy following Microsoft Gaming's executive shake-up.
Xbox's big changes come as the gaming brand has some high-profile games set to release this year. In addition to the aforementioned Halo: Campaign Evolvedwill Microsoft make its long-awaited return to Fable franchise, plans to launch a full reboot developed by Playground Games in 2026. Forza Horizon 6 is also expected to launch on May 19, giving players a plethora of stunning locations to explore throughout its stylized version of Japan. Xbox fans should have a lot to look forward to from the company as Microsoft's new gaming leadership settles into their new roles.
