After Phil Spencer’s long reign over the Xbox business, Asha Sharma has arrived as the new CEO of Microsoft’s gaming division. Although not as experienced as Phil Spencer, the new CEO is excited about the opportunities and possibilities that await.
Asha Sharma has been in this leadership position for just a few days, and it appears she is already gearing up for major changes, the first of which might start in the marketing department.
Microsoft officially announced the new CEO’s arrival on February 20. On February 24 and 25, the gaming giant posted two very interesting job ads.
Xbox is currently hiring for a Publishing & Lifecycle Marketing Leader and a Senior Product Marketing Manager. Note that both listings are seeking an employee for Xbox’s internal first-party teams, suggesting a major hands-on approach.
What this means for the future is still anybody’s guess, but it does suggest that Asha Sharma and her team could be gearing up for sweeping changes. Previously, the CEO mentioned that nothing would be off the table, so there is a possibility of the team taking a fresh approach to the brand.
According to the job ads’ descriptions, the Publishing & Lifecycle Marketing Leader will be responsible for overseeing Xbox’s strategy across multiple devices. The goal is to ultimately grow the business in a sustainable manner and focus on player retention.
Similarly, the Senior Product Marketing Manager role focuses on launching games on PC and consoles and overseeing post-launch support and performance. While these are just two of the many new hirings Asha Sharma will likely oversee in the coming months, the agile approach suggests the new CEO is keen on making impactful changes as quickly as possible to bring the Xbox brand back on track.
On the subject of new hirings, former Xbox director Larry Hryb has also expressed interest in returning to the brand following the new CEO’s arrival. Needless to say, the possibilities for Xbox’s future are certainly very interesting.
