Microsoft’s new gaming CEO Asha Sharma has responded to concerns around her background in AI and lack of previous roles in gaming, as part of her first major interview since yesterday’s announcement that she will replace veteran Xbox boss Phil Spencer.
Last night, IGN exclusively broke the news of a stunning reshuffle at the top of Microsoft’s gaming division. Veteran chief and avid gamer Phil Spencer was retiring, his protégé Sarah Bond was following him out the door, and Sharma was now in charge. Meanwhile, Xbox Studios leader Matt Booty had secured a promotion, and will now serve as Sharma’s right-hand man.
Now, Sharma has spoken with Variety and addressed the two immediate concerns raised by many Xbox fans last night as the news broke — that Microsoft boss Satya Nadella had chosen the company’s CoreAI head of product development to replace Phil Spencer, who previously had no experience running anything to do with video games.
In Sharma’s first message to Microsoft staff, Sharma laid out her three main commitments: “great games”, “the return of Xbox” and “future of play.”
Talking to Variety, Sharma said she believed great games were those with “deep emotional resonance”, “a distinct point of view” and experiences with stories that make players “feel something.” Sharma then gave the beloved narrative mystery Firewatch as an example of this.
