Matt Booty, who simply acquired promoted to Government Vice President and Chief Content material Officer at Xbox, has signaled in a memo that the current upheaval at Xbox might not result in any layoffs on the firm’s assortment of almost 40 sport improvement studios.
He mentioned in his memo, “To be clear, there aren’t any organizational adjustments underway for our studios.”
The brand new Xbox CEO, Asha Sharma, comes from a background of AI, prompting fears by some that additional investments into the know-how at Microsoft’s studios might lead to layoffs. That is not taking place, not less than not for now, however the Xbox Sport Studios household has confronted difficult instances of late. Microsoft made deep cuts to the Xbox groups in July 2025, resulting in many layoffs and canceled video games, together with the closure of Excellent Darkish reboot studio The Initiative.
Trade analyst Dr. Serkan Toto believes Microsoft will “run by way of their Xbox enterprise with a bulldozer this yr” within the wake of Sharma taking on as the brand new CEO. “For a similar of Xbox staff, I hope I’m unsuitable,” he mentioned.
Xbox co-founder Seamus Blackley, in the meantime, predicted the top of Xbox and that Sharma will serve a task extra akin to a “palliative care physician who slides Xbox gently into the evening.”
Now, Microsoft has almost 40 studios underneath its umbrella, spanning Xbox and subsidiaries like Bethesda, Activision Blizzard, and King. In his assertion to workers, Booty mentioned he appears ahead to working with Sharma and that there are “good causes to imagine in what’s forward.”
“This group and its franchises have navigated change for many years, and our power comes from groups who know easy methods to adapt and preserve delivering. That confidence is grounded in a powerful pipeline of established franchises, new bets we imagine in, and clear participant demand for what we’re constructing,” he mentioned.
In his new position, Booty will give attention to supporting the groups at present in place and “creating the circumstances for them to do their finest work,” he mentioned.
Booty was beforehand the president for sport content material and studios at Xbox. He’s developing in sixteenth anniversary at Microsoft, having began there again in April 2010. Previous to that, Booty was a sport designer and programmer at Halfway Video games, then was promoted to studio head of Halfway’s Chicago studio. He rose all the way in which as much as turn out to be the president and CEO of Halfway.
In different Xbox information, it was reported that outgoing Xbox president Sarah Bond championed the polarizing “This Is An Xbox” advertising and marketing marketing campaign, and that she was difficult to work for. Some mentioned they have been relieved to study she was leaving.
Spencer mentioned Bond was “instrumental” for Xbox throughout her time with the corporate, praising her for “shaping our platform technique, increasing Sport Move and cloud gaming, supporting new {hardware} launches, and guiding a number of the most important moments in our historical past.” He mentioned he wished Bond “the perfect in what comes subsequent.”
Spencer mentioned he’ll keep on in an advisory position by way of the summer season to assist with the handoff to Sharma, however it stays to be seen what’s subsequent for Bond, and for Spencer long run. Bond at present serves on the board of Tyson Meals and only in the near past obtained an enormous inventory award.