Phil Spencer retiring; Asha Sharma to lead Xbox

In a major leadership change, Xbox chief Phil Spencer is retiring and Xbox president Sarah Bond has resigned, with IGN reporting that Asha Sharma, the president of Microsoft's CoreAI, will take over.

In an email to Microsoft employees Sharma wrote: "We will recommit to our core Xbox fans and players, those who have invested with us for the past 25 years, and to the developers who build the expansive universes and experiences that are embraced by players across the world."

She added: "We will celebrate our roots with a renewed commitment to Xbox starting with console which has shaped who we are. It connects us to the players and fans who invest in Xbox, and to the developers who build ambitious experiences for it." Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios at Microsoft, will now serve as Xbox Chief Content Officer under Sharma. Spencer's retirement will begin Monday, Feb. 23.

Spencer first started at Microsoft in 1988 as an intern and began working with Xbox since its 2001 launch.

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