Xbox‘s new Chief Content Officer is stressing the importance of first-party games to Microsoft, suggesting the gaming titan is not looking to move solely into publishing. Microsoft has seen some big shifts in its main gaming brand in recent weeks, with multiple executive positions changing hands and a longtime face of the company bidding farewell. Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer officially announced his retirement, effective February 23, with Xbox president Sarah Bond also stepping down from her position at the same time. However, Xbox’s leadership change has seen a wide variety of responses from the community.
Microsoft’s big leadership shuffle has brought plenty of new faces to the forefront for the Xbox division. Asha Sharma stepped in as the newest CEO of Microsoft Gaming following Phil Spencer’s departure, while Xbox also recently appointed Matt Booty as Chief Content Officer. The shift in Xbox’s higher-ups has already seen some unsettling projections from a former Xbox figurehead, with Xbox co-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 on Potential Layoffs After Major Xbox Leadership Changes
A key figure from Microsoft leadership shares an official comment on the possibility of layoffs following major Xbox executive changes.
Xbox is Fully Committed to First-Party Games, 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 “fully built around being first-party,” asserting that the company is “not built” to only act as a publisher without developing its own first-party. Booty asserted 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 should not expect to see drastic changes immediately, with Xbox executives working on the right course of action for the Xbox brand moving forward.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
The interview was accompanied by recent personal statements from Asha Sharma about the Xbox gaming company. Sharma spoke out in simple terms about recent concerns from fans regarding Xbox pushing formerly first-party games to competing platforms, saying “hear you” to one fan on Twitter. Sharma also responded to fans worried that Xbox may be pursuing heavier use of AI in games, saying she intends to keep “soulless AI slop” away from the platform. Sharma also spoke about the intent of Microsoft’s gaming division to “return to Xbox” and refocus on improving its console brand.
While Sharma looked to ease fan worries, recent years have seen some of Xbox’s biggest names go multi-platform. 2025 saw both Forza Horizon 5 and Gears of War: Reloaded make the jump to the PlayStation 5, alongside Halo: Campaign Evolved bringing the franchise to PS5 for the first time in 2026. Xbox has even caught flak from some employees for its shift towards other consoles and PC, with Microsoft’s “This is an Xbox” ad campaign reportedly being unpopular internally. Xbox has yet to confirm any immediate shifts 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 throughout the year. Alongside the previously mentioned Halo: Campaign Evolved, Microsoft will make its long-awaited return to the Fable franchise, planning 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 lots to look forward to from the company as Microsoft’s new gaming leadership settles into their new roles.
