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Microsoft reorgs its Xbox and marketing teams to prepare for an AI and gaming future
26.10.2023 - 17:51 / theverge.com / Tom Warren / Jacqueline Scott Corley / Phil Spencer / Bobby Kotick / Sarah Bond / Chris Capossela / Ai / Xbox And
By Tom Warren, a senior editor covering Microsoft, PC gaming, console, and tech. He founded WinRumors, a site dedicated to Microsoft news, before joining The Verge in 2012.
Microsoft is reorganizing its Xbox gaming and marketing leadership, less than two weeks after acquiring Activision Blizzard. Microsoft is promoting Matt Booty to president of game content and studios, including the new responsibility of ZeniMax, and Sarah Bond to Xbox president, overseeing all Xbox platform and hardware work. On the marketing side, chief marketing officer Chris Capossela is stepping down after 32 years at Microsoft.
The Xbox changes mean Booty will now lead an expanded organization inside Microsoft Gaming that now includes ZeniMax and Bethesda. “ZeniMax will continue to operate as a limited integration entity led by Jamie Leder, President and CEO, reporting to Matt,” explains Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer in an internal memo obtained by The Verge.
Booty’s expanded role should help Microsoft Gaming avoid scenarios like Redfall in the future, with Microsoft clearly focusing on better collaboration between the teams it acquired with the ZeniMax / Bethesda acquisition.
“Great games are fundamental to everything we do,” explains Spencer in his memo. “We believe that an expanded gaming content organization — one that enables Xbox Game Studios and ZeniMax’s development studios to collaborate effectively together — will empower those world-class studios to do their best work in growing our portfolio of games players love.”
Bond will now take over the hardware and software platforms of Xbox. “To manage the platform of today, and build the platform of tomorrow, we are bringing together the teams that will make this possible,” explains Spencer. “Sarah Bond will lead this team as President of Xbox — bringing together Devices, Player & Creator Experiences, Platform Engineering, Strategy, Business Planning, Data & Analytics and Business Development.”
Bond has been a rising star inside Xbox at Microsoft since joining in 2017, particularly behind the scenes of the recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Bond even appeared during the FTC v. Microsoft hearing to explain video games and the Xbox business to Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley.
Bond will now be responsible for the future of Xbox, both in hardware and software — which may include a redesigned disc-less Xbox Series X next year and a next-gen hybrid console in 2028.
These Xbox leadership changes mean there will be more women in gaming leadership roles at Microsoft than men once Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, departs at the end of 2023. Here’s the new Xbox org chart:
Over on the marketing side, chief marketing officer Capossela is stepping aside to make way
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By Tom Warren, a senior editor covering Microsoft, PC gaming, console, and tech. He founded WinRumors, a site dedicated to Microsoft news, before joining The Verge in 2012.