Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer Retiring, Xbox President Sarah Bond Resigning

IGN:

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, who has been at Microsoft since he joined as an intern in 1988 and with Xbox since the software giant launched its first console in 2001, is retiring, sources familiar with the matter who are not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to IGN. Spencer’s retirement is effective on Monday, February 23. Meanwhile, Xbox President Sarah Bond, long thought by many both inside and outside of Microsoft to be Spencer’s heir apparent, has resigned. The new CEO of Microsoft Gaming will be Asha Sharma, currently the President of Microsoft’s CoreAI product. Finally, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty is being promoted to Chief Content Officer and will work closely with Sharma.

I’m at once shocked and not shocked by this news. Shocked that Sarah is resigning. I pegged her more as a successor and trying to change the narrative. And I’m sure the money is good.

Not shocked as I had a hard time believing that Phil (and Sarah) could weather the storm that has been Xbox over the past few years — aquisitions, massive layoffs, studio closures, etc. They seemed to genuinely care about the brand (or I would like to believe they did). But at some point, something’s gotta give.

Maybe the most comically sad and telling part of this announcement is in the opening paragraph of Satya Nadella’s company-wide email (via GameFile, emphasis mine):

Gaming has been part of Microsoft from the start. Flight Simulator shipped before Windows, and you can practically ray‑trace a line from DirectX in the ’90s to the accelerated‑compute era we’re in today.

Ray-trace? JFC.