A New Era for Xbox: Asha Sharma’s Strategic Shake-Up
Big news coming from the Xbox camp! Asha Sharma, the newly appointed head of Xbox, is making some bold moves to revamp the company’s leadership structure as they gear up to launch Project Helix, their next-gen console. In a recent internal memo shared with the team, Sharma emphasized the need for change to enhance their capabilities and adapt how they operate.
Sharma is bringing in four of her former colleagues from Microsoft’s CoreAI division to help steer the ship. She noted that the current pace of delivering impactful updates is too slow, saying, “We spend too much time looking inward instead of connecting with the community.” She highlighted the importance of bolstering certain key areas where they currently fall short.
One of the most recognizable names in this reshuffle is Jason Ronald, a Microsoft veteran with over two decades of experience in the Xbox realm. He’s stepping into a pivotal role where he’ll oversee Project Helix and the broader Xbox platform. On the hardware front, Roanne Sones, who leads the Xbox devices and ecosystem team, is set to take a well-deserved break later this year but will return as an advisor.
Bringing in fresh talent, Jared Palmer from CoreAI will focus on enhancing the Xbox platform to make it easier for developers to create quality games. Tim Allen, another CoreAI expert, will lead experience design, blending product design with a fan-first mindset. Jonathan McKay is set to spearhead growth initiatives, while Evan Chaki will streamline engineering processes to cut down on repetitive tasks.
Other notable changes include David Schloss, who will manage the Xbox subscription and cloud business, after previously working with Sharma at Instacart. However, Kevin Gammill, a long-time Microsoft employee who played a major role in the Xbox user experience, will be leaving the company.
This leadership change comes on the heels of a challenging quarter for Microsoft’s gaming division, with revenues taking a hit. In the first quarter of 2026, gaming revenue dropped by 7%, and console sales plummeted by 33%. Sharma candidly acknowledged the need for improvement in a recent social media post, stating, “We have work to do to earn every player today and into the future.”
Last month, Sharma and Xbox veteran Matt Booty unveiled a new mission statement dubbed “We Are Xbox,” acknowledging the frustrations players have faced due to the lack of new features and rising service costs. In a bid to reconnect with fans, Sharma has also rolled out some refreshing brand changes, including the end of the unpopular “This is an Xbox” campaign and a new look for the Xbox logo, along with a price cut for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
With these changes, it looks like Xbox is gearing up for a more exciting future, and fans are hopeful for the innovations that lie ahead!