TL;DR: Microsoft Gaming and Xbox underwent major leadership changes with Asha Sharma as CEO, sparking mixed reactions due to her AI background. New Chief Content Officer Matt Booty emphasized that AI will support, not replace, human creativity in game development, with no pressure to use generative AI in Xbox products.
One of the biggest gaming stories of the year has been the unexpected and seismic shake-up over at Microsoft Gaming and Xbox, with Phil Spencer out as CEO, alongside Xbox President Sarah Bond. Although the announcement and communication were filled with all of the stuff you want to see, from recommitting to Xbox’s core fans and confirming that Xbox consoles are still a key pillar of the brand, it hasn’t stopped the flood of both negative and cautiously concerned reactions.
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One of the most negative arrived from the original Xbox console co-creator Seamus Blackley, who called new CEO Asha Sharma “a palliative care doctor who slides Xbox gently into the night.” Much of the criticism and concern centers on the relatively unknown Asha Sharma, who has an AI background rather than one in the gaming or entertainment industries.
As part of her first communication, she promised that when it comes to AI, Microsoft will not “chase short-term efficiency” or flood the Xbox ecosystem with “soulless AI slop.” As part of a new interview with Windows Central, Microsoft Gaming and Xbox’s new Chief Content Officer Matt Booty has added more context on how the team views AI and responded to the idea that Microsoft only cares about AI and will push generative AI technology into every corner of the Xbox business.
“Just as a group, game developers are always eager to adopt new technology. When Photoshop showed up, it took about one month for it to appear in every game studio on the planet because it was so useful. What I hear throughout our studios: it is the people, our artists, our coders, the writers – they’re doing the creative work. In my experience, any time there’s a new technology, what happens is there’s a need for more specialists, new specialists. It raises the bar on what the expectations are for the quality of the games.”
“We’ve got no pressure from Microsoft, there are no directives on AI coming down. Our teams are free to use any technologies that might be beneficial, whether it’s helping write code or check for bugs – things more in the production pipeline. At the end of the day as Asha said, we’re committed to art made by people. Technology is only in support of that.”
Matt Booty, speaking with Windows Central.
As AI is quickly becoming part of game development tools, Xbox teams are free to use it, but Microsoft isn’t pushing it.