Microsoft’s newly appointed gaming CEO, Asha Sharma, has responded to concerns about her background in artificial intelligence (AI) and lack of prior gaming roles. Sharma noted that she has for what she calls AI. Sharma, who previously served as Microsoft’s president of CoreAI, was named to the role following the announcement that long-time Xbox head Phil Spencer would retire from the company after nearly 40 years. This development also saw Sarah Bond, who many had expected to eventually succeed Spencer, announce her departure from Xbox at the same time.
Sharma’s appointment drew scrutiny from the gaming community, but Sharma has sought to calm those concerns, telling Variety that
and that the industry needs new “growth engines. ” She also added that , and not by machines.
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What Microsoft’s new gaming CEO Asha Sharma on her lack of gaming experience
In response to her lack of professional roles within the gaming sector, Sharma made
to the Xbox community upon her appointment: the , and the
She has since said she wants Xbox to tell stories that make people
when they play, with and a , citing Campo Santo’s 2016 first-person mystery Firewatch as a game that had this kind of impact on her.
Sharma acknowledged she had
in her new role but said she is committed to Xbox. she said, with her goal to by demonstrating over time.
Sharma said more details about Xbox’s plans would be shared at the annual GDC conference next month, with bigger announcements expected at an Xbox Games Showcase this spring.
Meanwhile, Sarah Bond, in a farewell message to Xbox staff over the weekend, said she will
but noted that
