Xbox leadership shifts as new chief pledges not to flood the ecosystem with AI-generated content

Microsoft announced Phil Spencer's retirement and named Asha Sharma as EVP and CEO of Microsoft Gaming, and Sharma pledged a renewed commitment to the Xbox console and to human-created game content.

Microsoft announced that longtime Xbox head Phil Spencer is retiring after 38 years with the company. Asha Sharma, who joined Microsoft two years ago, has been named EVP and CEO of Microsoft Gaming. Spencer led Microsoft's gaming efforts for about a dozen years and oversaw expansions such as Game Pass and several high-profile acquisitions. Sharma has said she intends to renew commitment to the Xbox console and emphasized that games should be crafted by humans as monetization and AI evolve. Key details: - Phil Spencer is retiring after 38 years at Microsoft and about a dozen years leading the company's gaming efforts. - Asha Sharma has been appointed EVP and CEO of Microsoft Gaming; she joined Microsoft two years ago after serving as COO at Instacart. - Sharma wrote that Xbox will celebrate its roots and that the console remains important even as gaming expands across PC, mobile, and cloud. - Sharma stated that as AI and monetization evolve, Microsoft will not "flood our ecosystem" with AI-generated content and described games as art crafted by humans. - The article notes Game Pass prices rose from $19.99 to $29.99 per month, and that the Xbox Network has reported over 500 million monthly active users. Summary: The leadership change places Asha Sharma at the head of Microsoft Gaming with a stated emphasis on consoles, cross-device services, and preserving human-created game content. How Sharma and her team will put these priorities into practice is undetermined at this time.