After just two weeks of Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard, Phil Spencer has decided to implement structural changes to his Microsoft Gaming leadership team of Sarah Bond, Matt Booty, and many other high-end staff. According to a newly leaked Microsoft memo, Sarah Bond will assume her position as Xbox president, while Matt Booty will become the president of game content and studios.
The appointments are part of a massive management shake-up at the group’s games division as Microsoft continue its aggressive gaming investments. The timing of the appointments is also well-planned, as the company’s latest financial report revealed that Xbox Game Pass recently reached a new subscription milestone thanks to Starfield. Moreover, the company’s overall games business saw revenue increase by 9% in the first quarter of fiscal 2024, which helped offset the 7% year-over-year decline in console sales.
Changes in Position and Responsibility in Microsoft Gaming Leadership Team
Sarah Bond Will Oversee the Hardware and Software Platforms of Xbox
As mentioned above, Sarah Bond will now assume the role of President of Xbox after Spencer promoted her from Xbox Corporate vice president. Her responsibilities have now shifted to overseeing the hardware and software platforms of Xbox as the one responsible for the future of Xbox hardware and software.
In an internal memo obtained by The Verge, Spencer revealed: “To manage the platform of today and build the platform of tomorrow, we are bringing together the teams that will make this possible. 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.”
Sarah Bond responded to the appointment on Twitter amidst an outpouring of support and congratulations for the promotion as she wrote: “Xbox. It’s an honour. Always.” Moreover, the news makes Sarah Bond, who played a decisive behind-the-scenes role in Activision’s acquisition of Blizzard, the first female president in Xbox’s 22-year history and with her contributions, it is not hard to see why.
Matt Booty Will Oversee the Progress of ZeniMax and Bethesda
Besides Sarah Bond, Matt Booty also received a promotion to president of gaming content and studios and will oversee the progress of ZeniMax and Bethesda. In the words of Phil Spencer, he mentioned: “ZeniMax will continue to operate as a limited integration entity led by Jamie Leder, President and CEO, reporting to Matt.”
He further stated: “Great games are fundamental to everything we do. We believe that an expanded gaming content organisation — one that enables Xbox Game Studios and ZeniMax 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.”
According to the internal memo, Matt Booty and Sarah Bond will report directly to Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer as the company hopes to effectively manage their three autonomous game publishing arms: Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax Media, and Xbox Game Studios.
Takeshi Numoto Will Replace the Long-Standing Chris Capossela as Microsoft’s Chief Marketing Officer
In addition to the changes in the positions of Matt Booty and Sarah Bond, Spencer disclosed that there is a change in their Chief Marketing Officer position. For example, Microsoft Chief Marketing Officer Chris Capossela is stepping down after 32 years at the company, and Takeshi Numoto, another Microsoft veteran of 26 years, will serve as his successor.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella later confirmed in a Microsoft corporate blog post. “I am pleased to announce that Takeshi Numoto is being promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, reporting to me. Takeshi has been at the heart of our Cloud transformation. He is a fantastic systems thinker who works end-to-end across all functions, from engineering to finance to operations to sales, and he has built a great team of marketing leaders. I am thrilled for him to step into the CMO role for Microsoft and drive our vision forward.”
Related: 5 Best Xbox Game Studios Microsoft Owns
Yusuf Mehdi Receives Promotion to Executive Vice President, Consumer Chief Marketing Officer
Furthermore, Microsoft Corporate Vice President Yusuf Mehdi has been named executive vice president, a role he will fill while continuing his regular duties as chief consumer marketing officer. Microsoft’s consumer sales organisation, led by Ami Silverman, will also merge with the company’s gaming division as part of a similar restructuring. According to Spencer, this group’s responsibilities lie in targeting new audiences and elevating Xbox game sales worldwide.
As per the words of Satya Nadella: “I am also excited that Yusuf Mehdi is promoted to Executive Vice President, Consumer Chief Marketing Officer. He will join the senior leadership team and report to Takeshi. Yusuf will lead our end-user experiences and build on his work in launching several AI-powered services to lead Microsoft Copilot product marketing. He will also continue to lead our Search, Ad, & News and Devices & Creativity Customer Solution Areas (CSAs).”
Also Read: Diablo 4 Sales Breaks Record with $666 Million
Are the Changes Positive to Microsoft?
Definitely yes. For instance, Sarah Bond has been a rising star in Xbox at Microsoft since she arrived in 2017, particularly behind their recent acquisition of Blizzard. Moreover, she even appeared during the FTC v. Microsoft hearing to explain video games and the Xbox business to Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley.
Furthermore, the changes in Xbox leadership 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. It is quite a rare feat in companies, and it could lead to a future of fair assessment of quality over gender.
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