New Xbox boss promises no 'soulless AI slop' after moving over from Microsoft's CoreAI products division

New Xbox boss promises no ‘soulless AI slop’ after moving over from Microsoft’s CoreAI products division | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these AI Unity boss who once called out the ‘idiocy’ of the metaverse now says his company’s new AI tech ‘will enable developers to prompt full casual games into existence with natural language only’ Gaming Industry Arc Raiders is such a huge hit, Nexon has put Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund in charge of everything else too Gaming Industry Xbox boss Phil Spencer is retiring, and his replacement is an AI executive who joined Microsoft in 2024 AI Microsoft AI CEO curiously omits ‘Microsoft AI CEO’ from list of white collar jobs that will be replaceable by AI in next 18 months AI Microsoft CEO warns that we must ‘do something useful’ with AI or they’ll lose ‘social permission’ to burn electricity on it Gaming Industry Over 50% of game developers now think generative AI is bad for the industry, a dramatic increase from just 2 years ago: ‘I’d rather quit the industry than use generative AI’ Gaming Industry Remedy’s new CEO is a former sports betting guy and EA executive who aims to ‘scale Remedy in a way that builds lasting value’ Hardware AMD CEO suggests next-gen Xbox will launch in 2027—the premium console’s chip is ‘progressing well’ Gaming Industry If Xbox is ‘recommitting’ to its console, what does that mean for its recent ‘everything is an Xbox’ strategy? Windows Microsoft’s AI PC beginner’s guide demonstrates how convoluted its branding has become, but hey, at least ‘AI is not here to replace you’ Gaming Industry No layoffs at Xbox as a result of leadership shakeup, new chief content officer Matt Booty says: ‘My focus is on supporting the teams and leaders we have in place and creating the conditions for them to do their best work’ Gaming Industry 2 months after being acquired by private equity, Splash Damage is making major layoffs so it can ‘remain agile,’ even though it hasn’t released a game since 2020 FPS Dishonored co-creator says it was ‘a shock’ when Microsoft closed Arkane Austin after Redfall’s release: ‘We were working on something really cool’ Gaming Industry Ubisoft shares plummet to lowest price in over 14 years amid its recently announced ‘restructuring’ centered on cancellations, layoffs, and generative AI Gaming Industry ‘We will f*ck up’: The publisher of Against the Storm and Manor Lords is committed to keeping generative AI out, but it’s easier said than done PopularNEW: PC Gamer Clips!Arc RaidersBest PC gearFalloutGame Quizzes Gaming Industry New Xbox boss promises no ‘soulless AI slop’ after moving over from Microsoft’s CoreAI products division News By Tyler Wilde published 20 February 2026 “We will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop,” said Asha Sharma, the new CEO of Microsoft Gaming. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Asha Sharma, who is stepping into the Microsoft Gaming CEO position vacated by Phil Spencer. (Image credit: Microsoft) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 4 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer Get the PC Gamer Newsletter Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? 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Signup + Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo’s new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play. Signup + Every Saturday The Watchlist Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Long-time Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer has retired, and Xbox president Sarah Bond has resigned. Filling their shoes will be Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty, who has been promoted to chief content officer, and a newcomer to Microsoft’s gaming division, Asha Sharma, who will take over for Spencer as the new CEO of Microsoft Gaming.Sharma’s credentials instantly raised eyebrows: She’s moving to Microsoft’s gaming division from its “CoreAI” products division—stuff like Azure AI services—and does not have a background in games.In a letter shared with Microsoft employees, Sharma got ahead of fears that she’ll push generative AI tools on Microsoft’s many game studios, which include among others Activision Blizzard, Bethesda, id Software, MachineGames, Obsidian, inXile, Double Fine, Ninja Theory, and Mojang. Related articles Xbox boss Phil Spencer is retiring, and his replacement is an AI executive who joined Microsoft in 2024 If Xbox is ‘recommitting’ to its console, what does that mean for its recent ‘everything is an Xbox’ strategy? No layoffs at Xbox as a result of leadership shakeup, new chief content officer Matt Booty says: ‘My focus is on supporting the teams and leaders we have in place and creating the conditions f