Microsoft on Friday announced a major shake-up of its gaming, with Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer stepping down along with Xbox president Sarah Bond.
Spencer will be replaced by Asha Sharma, a former executive at Instacart and Meta. Sharma most recently served as president of Microsoft’s CoreAI product, and these moves suggest Microsoft may be doubling down on bringing AI to video games.
The company was already experimenting with ways to combine AI and gaming, including developing an AI game companion and releasing buggy AI-generated levels in Quake II.
Indeed, in an internal memo published by The Verge, Sharma wrote that Microsoft will “invent new business models and new ways to play,” and that “monetization and AI” will both “evolve and impact this future.” At the same time, she said the company is “not looking for short-term efficiencies or flooding the ecosystem with soulless AI slop.”
“Games are and always will be art, created by humans and created using the most innovative technology we have to offer,” Sharma added.
This is just one of the three “promises” Sharma made in his memo. Others include building “great games that players love” and prioritizing Xbox.
