New Xbox boss promises no 'soulless AI slop' after moving over from Microsoft's CoreAI products division

Asha Sharma, who is stepping into the Microsoft Gaming CEO position vacated by Phil Spencer. (Image credit: Microsoft)

Long-time Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer has retired, and Xbox president Sarah Bond has resigned. Filling their shoes will be Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty, who has been promoted to chief content officer, and a newcomer to Microsoft's gaming division, Asha Sharma, who will take over for Spencer as the new CEO of Microsoft Gaming.

Sharma's credentials instantly raised eyebrows: She's moving to Microsoft's gaming division from its "CoreAI" products division—stuff like Azure AI services—and does not have a background in games.

What Sharma describes is arguably already occurring at Activision, which has used generative AI to make art that appears in Call of Duty—though perhaps not often enough to call it a "flood" yet.

Microsoft's gaming business has had a tumultuous 2020s so far. On one hand, it added giants Bethesda and Activision Blizzard to its huge portfolio of publishers and studios, and there's been no shortage of cash for its executives. On the other, it has canceled numerous games, closed recently acquired studios such as Arkane Austin, laid off thousands of workers, and struggled to sell Xbox consoles.

It's difficult to identify a specific change of strategy in Sharma's letter. The commitment to making great games is paired with a promise to "build a shared platform and tools that empower developers and players to create and share their own stories," which sounds Roblox-ey. Sharma also promises "the return of Xbox" and a renewed commitment to the console, but also says that "gaming now lives across devices, not within the limits of any single piece of hardware."

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Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.

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