Microsoft is restructuring its Xbox and marketing teams to prepare for the future of artificial intelligence and gaming

Less than two weeks after Activision acquired Blizzard, Microsoft is restructuring its Xbox gaming and marketing leadership. Microsoft is promoting Matt Buti to president of games and studios content, including new responsibilities at ZeniMax, and Sarah Bond to president of Xbox, responsible for all Xbox platforms and hardware businesses. On the marketing front, Chief Marketing Officer Chris Caposella will step down after 32 years at Microsoft.

The Xbox switch means Booty will now lead an expanding company within Microsoft Gaming, which now includes Zenimax and Bethesda. “Genimax will continue to operate as a limited integration unit led by President and CEO Jamie Leder and report to Matt,” Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said in an internal memo obtained by him. edges.

Booty’s expanded role will help Microsoft Gaming avoid such situations The main downfall Going forward, Microsoft is clearly focusing on better collaboration between the teams with the ZeniMax/Bethesda acquisition.

“Great games are fundamental to everything we do,” Spencer explained in his note. “We believe our expanded game content organization – allowing Xbox Game Studios and Zenimax Development Studios to collaborate effectively – will enable these world-class studios to do their best to expand the portfolio of games our gamers love.”

Bond will now take over Xbox’s hardware and software platforms. “To manage today’s platforms and build tomorrow’s platforms, we bring together the teams that make it possible,” explains Spencer. “Sarah Bond will lead this team as Head of Xbox, bringing together hardware, player and developer experience, platform architecture, strategy, business planning, data and analytics and business development.”

Bond has been a rising star at Microsoft’s Xbox since joining in 2017, especially on the back of its recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Bond shows even Federal Trade Commission v. Microsoft Listen and calmly explain the video game and Xbox business to judge Jacqueline Scott Corley

Bond will now be responsible for the future of Xbox in both hardware and software – which could include a redesigned discless Xbox series.

These changes in Xbox leadership mean that when Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick leaves at the end of 2023, there will be more women than men in gaming leadership roles at Microsoft. Here’s the new Xbox org chart:

On the marketing front, Chief Marketing Officer Caposella is stepping down to make way for Takeshi Nomoto. “Takeshi was at the center of our cloud transformation,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in an interview. Internal memo to staff. “I am very pleased that he is taking on the role of CMO at Microsoft and driving our vision forward.”

Caposella worked at Microsoft for 32 years and became famous for appearing on stage with co-founder Bill Gates during a presentation in which a beta version of Windows 98 crashed with a blue screen of death. Caposella has led marketing at Microsoft for decades, through the transition to the cloud, the launch of Xbox, and many other moments.

Microsoft is promoting Youssef Mahdi to executive vice president and chief consumer marketing officer. Mehdi first joined Microsoft in 1992, where he worked in product management for Internet Explorer and Windows before leading Microsoft’s foray into search with Bing. He was involved in the launch of Surface, Windows 10 and HoloLens headsets.

“Youssef will serve as our end-user experience champion and build on the launch of many of our AI-powered services to lead the commercialization of Microsoft Copilot products,” Nadella explained in his memo. “He will also continue to lead search, advertising, news, device and customer creative (CSA) solutions.”

Microsoft is moving its consumer sales organization into the Microsoft Gaming team. Led by Amy Silverman, this team is responsible for Microsoft’s consumer retail business. “Amy Charter covers all consumer products including hardware, creative products (Windows, Surface, M365) and everything game related,” explains Spencer. “The focus of this team will be to transform game sales and attract new audiences across all geographic markets.”

Microsoft must carefully integrate Activision Blizzard into its Microsoft Gaming division. Dave McCarthy, now COO of Microsoft Gaming, will lead the effort on the operational side. We now wait for Microsoft to name a new Activision Blizzard CEO to replace Kotick later this year.

Microsoft’s restructuring here is clearly related to its gaming and AI capabilities. “With our recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, we are doubling down on our gaming business,” Nadella said. Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard earlier this month and plans to announce which games will be added to Xbox Game Pass in the coming months.

Microsoft is integrating AI into its Windows operating system, Office apps, Bing and more to become a leader in the AI ​​space. Microsoft 365 Copilot launches next week, allowing businesses to compose emails, rewrite paragraphs, analyze Excel data and more. Nadella discussed the potential of AI during Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit earlier this week.

“When Windows was first created, we had a Start button, and Copilot was like a Start button,” Nadella said earlier this week. “It becomes the orchestrator of all your app experiences. For example, I go there and express my intent and it either redirects me to an app or takes the app to Copilot to help me fully learn, research and create. I think it changes user habits.”

You can read Spencer’s full notes on the Xbox changes here.