Asha Sharma is CEO of Xbox, a role she took in February 2026 after Phil Spencer stepped down. She has publicly denied that the division is for sale while overseeing the Xbox Reset restructuring and maintaining the company's partnerships with Kojima Productions and Sony.
Asha Sharma became CEO of Xbox in February 2026, succeeding Phil Spencer, who had led the division since 2014. Her tenure has been defined by the Xbox Reset, a restructuring that in July 2026 announced about 1,600 layoffs and a plan to cut roughly 3,200 positions this fiscal year. The cuts include spinning off Double Fine and Compulsion Games as independent entities and transferring Ninja Theory and Undead Labs to new owners.
In July 2026, the Federal Reserve Board appointed Sharma as co-leader of its new Productivity and Jobs task force, alongside economist Charles I. Jones and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. The task force examines how general-purpose technologies including artificial intelligence affect the U.S. economy and employment. Outlets including PC Gamer and Game Developer noted the timing relative to the layoff announcement.
Sharma's public schedule has kept her visible on the game side. In August 2026 she said she watched a live playthrough of The Elder Scrolls VI at Bethesda Game Studios, praising its scale and story while hiding the subtitle behind eight asterisks. In September 2026 she visited Kojima Productions in Japan and appeared in a photo with Hideo Kojima. The following month, she told The New York Times that Xbox will not be sold, addressing rumors that followed the reorganization. She said the company will proceed from a long-term perspective and will consider the right partners and operating model.
On partnerships, Sharma said she is pleased Hideo Kojima chose to work with Xbox on the action espionage title PHYSINT. She said the cooperative relationship with Sony will continue and that competition and collaboration can coexist. The Kojima projects PHYSINT and OD remain without release dates.
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4d ago
Asha Sharma, CEO of Xbox, told The New York Times in an interview published September 30 that the division will not be sold, directly addressing rumors that followed the company's large-scale reorganization. Sharma took over the gaming division in February 2026 after Phil Spencer stepped down. Under the "Xbox Reset," the company announced layoffs of about 1,600 people in July and said it would cut roughly 3,200 people this fiscal year. She said Xbox will proceed from a long-term perspective and will consider the right partners and operating model. Sharma also addressed the partnership with Kojima Productions on the new action espionage title PHYSINT, saying she is pleased Hideo Kojima chose to work with Xbox. She said the cooperative relationship with Sony will continue and that competition and collaboration can coexist.
Sep 14
Asha Sharma, who leads Microsoft's Xbox division, visited Kojima Productions in Japan and appeared in a photo with Hideo Kojima that he posted to social media. Sharma took over the Xbox division after Phil Spencer, who had led it since 2014. Game Spark notes the visit could involve discussion of Kojima's projects PHYSINT and OD, both announced without release dates.
Aug 12
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said on August 12 that she watched a live playthrough of The Elder Scrolls VI during a visit to Bethesda Game Studios. In a post on X, Sharma praised the game's scale and grandeur as "incredible" and said the story is "even greater," while keeping the subtitle hidden behind eight asterisks. Bethesda Game Studios replied to her post, thanking her for the visit and kind words. The post suggests the game's subtitle is eight English letters long, prompting speculation among fans on forums like Reddit about what the title could be, with some guessing it might be "High Rock," a region in the Elder Scrolls world. The Elder Scrolls VI was announced in 2018 with a teaser trailer, and no further details have been released since. In June 2026, Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty said in an interview that he saw the game running next to director Todd Howard and praised its quality. Sharma's visit and comments indicate the game has progressed to a stage where it can be shown to executives, though no release date or concrete details have been announced.
Jul 10
The Federal Reserve Board has appointed Xbox CEO Asha Sharma as co-leader of its new "Productivity and Jobs" task force. The appointment, announced on July 10, 2026, places Sharma alongside Stanford University economist Charles I. Jones and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz. The task force is tasked with analyzing how emerging general-purpose technologies, including artificial intelligence, affect the U.S. economy and employment, with the goal of informing Federal Reserve monetary policy. The appointment comes just days after Sharma outlined plans to cut approximately 3,200 positions in the Xbox division by the end of fiscal year 2027. That restructuring also involves spinning off studios Double Fine and Compulsion Games as independent entities, while Ninja Theory and Undead Labs are to be transferred to new owners. Overseas outlets including PC Gamer and Game Developer have noted the timing of the appointment relative to the layoff announcement.