Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
My dear team,
Today I begin my role as CEO of Microsoft Gaming.
I feel two things at once: humility and urgency.
Humble because this team has built something extraordinary over decades. An urgent necessity because gaming is going through a period of rapid change, and we need to act with clarity and conviction.
I step into the work shaped by generations of artists, engineers, designers, writers, musicians, gamers and others who have created worlds that have brought joy and deep personal meaning to hundreds of millions of players. The level of craftsmanship here is exceptional, and it’s amplified by Xbox, which was founded on the belief that the power of gaming connects people and moves the industry forward.
Thanks to Phil for his leadership, and to every studio, platform, and operations team who built this foundation. We curate some of the most beloved stories and characters in entertainment and bring gamers and creators together around the fun and gaming community in entirely new ways.
My first mission is simple: understand what makes this work and protect it.
This starts with three commitments.
Firstly, great games.
It all starts here. We have to have great games that players love before we do anything. Unforgettable characters, stories that make us feel, innovative gameplay, and creative excellence. We will empower our studios, invest in iconic franchises, and support bold new ideas. We will take the risks. We will enter new categories and markets where we can add real value, based on what players care about most.
I have promoted Matt Botti in honor of this commitment. He understands the craft and challenges of building great games, has led teams delivering award-winning work, and has earned the trust of game developers across the industry.
Secondly, the return of Xbox
We will renew our commitment to our core Xbox fans and players, those who have invested with us over the past 25 years, and the developers who build the expansive universes and experiences that players around the world embrace.
We will celebrate our roots with a renewed commitment to Xbox, starting with the console that shaped our identity. It connects us to the players and fans who invest in Xbox, and to the developers who build ambitious experiences for it.
Games are now available across devices, rather than within the confines of any single piece of hardware. As we expand across PC, mobile and the cloud, Xbox must feel seamless, immediate and worthy of the communities we serve. We’ll break down barriers so developers can build once and reach players everywhere without compromise.
Third, the future of gaming.
We are witnessing the reinvention of play.
To meet this moment, we will invent new business models and new ways to play by building on what we already have: the iconic teams, characters, and worlds that people love. But we won’t treat those worlds as static intellectual property to milk and monetize. We will build a common platform and tools that enable developers and players to create and share their own stories.
As monetization and AI evolve and influence this future, we will no longer chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI. Games are and always will be art, made by humans, and created using the most innovative technology we have to offer.
The next 25 years will belong to the teams that dare to build something surprising, something no one else wants to try, and have the patience to pull it off. We’ve done this before, and I’m here to help us do it again. I want to return to the rebellious spirit that built Xbox in the first place. It will require us to relentlessly question everything, reconsider processes, protect what works, and be brave enough to change what doesn’t.
Thank you for welcoming me on this journey.
Asha