By Michael McWhertor
Publication Date: 2026-04-23 21:33:00
Xbox‘s new leadership is rapidly making changes to Microsoft’s gaming division. That starts with the end of “Microsoft Gaming” and a reevaluation of the Xbox team’s “approach to exclusivity, windowing, and AI,” Chief Content Officer Matt Booty and CEO Asha Sharma said in a memo to employees on Thursday.
That letter to employees was later published publicly on Xbox Wire, and it offers some insight into the new way of thinking at Xbox following the departure of former leaders Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond.
“‘Microsoft Gaming’ describes our structure but it does not describe our ambition. So, we are going back to where we started and changing our team’s name,” Booty and Sharma said in the memo. “We are Xbox.”
The Xbox executives’ message to employees starts by addressing the challenges that the third-place console maker faces, leading with “Players are frustrated.”
“New feature drops on console have been less frequent. Our presence on PC isn’t strong enough. Pricing is…
