The Green family will experience significant changes in the coming days, namely Xbox has decided to part ways with Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond, and the decisions were announced in emails sent to employees. Spencer will officially retire on February 23, when he will be succeeded by Asha Sharma (President of Microsoft CoreAI), while Matt Booty will take over as Vice President and Head of Gaming Content instead of Bond.
"I want to thank Phil for his immense leadership and collaboration. During his 38 years at Microsoft, including the 12 years he led Xbox, he helped us become what we do and how we do it," said Satya Nadella, President of Microsoft.
Sharma focused in her email on three things they want to achieve in the future, emphasizing the protection of Xbox and what makes it special, as well as returning to the “core Xbox fans.”
I feel two things at once: humility and urgency.
Humility because this team has built something extraordinary over the decades. Urgency because gaming is in a period of rapid change, and we must move with clarity and conviction.
I am stepping into a role shaped by generations of artists, engineers, designers, writers, musicians, operators, and many others who create worlds that have brought joy and deep personal meaning to hundreds of millions of players. The level of craftsmanship here is exceptional, further amplified by Xbox, which is founded on the belief that the power of gaming connects people and drives the industry forward.
Thank you, Phil, for your leadership and to every studio, platform, and operational team that has built this foundation. We are the guardians of some of the most beloved stories and characters in the entertainment industry, bringing players and creators together around entertainment and the gaming community in entirely new ways.
My first task is simple: to understand what makes this special — and to protect it.
It starts with three commitments.
First, great games.
It all starts here. We must have great games that players love before we do anything else. Unforgettable characters, stories that touch us, innovative gameplay, and creative excellence. We will empower our studios, invest in iconic franchises, and support bold new ideas. We will take risks. We will enter new categories and markets where we can add real value, based on what matters most to players.
I promoted Matt Booty in honor of this commitment. He understands the craft and the challenges of creating great games, has led teams that deliver award-winning projects, and has earned the trust of developers across the industry.
Second, the return of Xbox.
We will once again dedicate ourselves to our core Xbox fans and players, those who have been with us for 25 years, as well as the developers who build vast universes and experiences that players around the world embrace.
We will celebrate our roots with renewed dedication to Xbox, starting with the console that shaped who we are. It connects us with players and fans who invest in Xbox, as well as with developers who create ambitious experiences for it.
Gaming today lives on multiple devices, not within the confines of a single hardware. As we expand to PC, mobile devices, and cloud, Xbox should be seamless, instant, and worthy of the communities we serve. We will break down barriers so developers can build once and reach players everywhere — without compromise.
Third, the future of gaming.
Every day we witness the reinvention of gaming.
To respond to the moment, we will invent new business models and new ways to play, relying on what we already have: iconic teams, characters, and worlds that people love. But we will not treat those worlds as static intellectual property to be milked and monetized. We will build a shared platform and tools that empower developers and players to create and share their own stories.
As monetization and artificial intelligence evolve and impact this future, we will not chase short-term efficiencies or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI content. Games are and will always be art, created by people, with the most innovative technology that we provide.
The next 25 years belong to the teams who dare to create something surprising, something that no one else wants to try, and have the patience to see it through. We have done this before, and I am here to help us do it again. I want to bring back the rebellious spirit that built Xbox. This will require us to tirelessly question everything, rethink processes, protect what works, and be brave enough to change what doesn’t work.
