In a major shakeup, Microsoft announced the departure of Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, along with Xbox President Sarah Bond.
On Friday, the American tech giant announced that former Instacart and Meta executive Asha Sharma is set to assume the role of Spencer.
Meanwhile, Sharma’s most recent role as the president of Microsoft’s CoreAI product indicated that Microsoft may be doubling down on introducing cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) into video games.
Previously, Microsoft has been testing ways to combine gaming and AI, for example creating an AI gaming companion and launching an AI-generated level from “Quake II.”
In an internal memo published by The Verge, Sharma stated that Microsoft “will invent new business models and new ways to play” and said that “monetization and AI” will both grow in future.
She further said that the company “will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop.”
“Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with the most innovative technology provided by us,” Sharma added.
She further aims to build “great games beloved by players” and prioritizes Xbox.
