Xbox Verdict
"Bad news for Xbox": Analysts react to the leadership shakeup at Microsoft's games division
Games industry analysts offer their insights on the future of Xbox as Phil Spencer exits and Asha Sharma steps in
Company Profile
Microsoft
Website
www.microsoft.com
About
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services, and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential.
Related People
Miguel Vicente
Audience Marketing Manager, Portugal
Asha Sharma
EVP and CEO of Microsoft Gaming
Brad Smith
President
Andy Lunique
Influencer Relations Manager
Satya Nadella
CEO
Agostino Simonetta
Director for global partnership management ID@Xbox
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Accolades
Articles featuring Microsoft
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Hot Five
Hot Five: Scopely acquires majority stake in Loom Games, Phil Spencer retires, and Unity shares approach all-time low
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Executive Shuffle
Xbox's outgoing president Sarah Bond: "I’m proud of what we’ve built together"
Executive releases statement after executive shuffle at Microsoft's games division
End Of An Era
Phil Spencer retires as ex-Instacart COO takes top job at Microsoft Gaming
Xbox president and COO Sarah Bond also exits the firm as Matt Booty is promoted to EVP and chief content officer
Jobs Roundup
February 2026's Movers and Shakers: Shifts at Steel Media, Sega’s new CFO, Unity's board room shuffle, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Super Bowl Surprises
Pokémon and Mario splash the cash with Super Bowl LX ads
Lady Gaga’s favourite Pokémon, how Yoshi rides a motorbike and more unveiled at the NFL’s premium event
Jobs Roundup
January 2026's Movers and Shakers: Meta Reality Labs lays off dev relations head, Jagex creative design director exits, Unity's Larry Hryb is out, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Best Of 2025
Paige Cook's top stories of 2025: Squad Busters shutdown, a transmedia boom, the Digital Fairness Act and more
PocketGamer.biz deputy editor Paige Cook highlights some of the top stories of 2025
Milestone
Asus reports strong sales for Xbox ROG Ally X
The handheld’s October 16th debut drew an “extremely positive” market response
Mobile Minecraft
Mojang and King launch Minecraft Blast playtest in Malaysia
The mobile Minecraft game is a puzzle title with familiar creatures and items
Service Disruption
Microsoft Azure global service outage impacts Minecraft and Xbox services worldwide
The Windows company said an accidental configuration change triggered the global disruption
Best Of 2025
The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers of 2025
The mobile movers and shakers of the last 12 months revealed!
Podcast | Episode 67
The $55bn EA acquisition unpacked | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 67...
Week In Views
From $1,000 Xbox handhelds and $30 Game Pass hikes to Fire Emblem Shadows’ $90,000 debut | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
New Offerings
Microsoft prices ROG Xbox Ally X handheld at $1,000
The Xbox Ally series launches on October 16th, with pre-orders now open
Jobs Roundup
September 2025’s Movers and Shakers: Roblox's head of agency partnerships, Women in Games' new community manager, and Epic Games hires Supercell veteran
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Job News
Microsoft names Rare's Louise O’Connor as chief of staff at Xbox Game Studios
She will focus on driving collaboration across Xbox Game Studios while supporting its leaders and teams
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens: The verdict on Xbox Game Pass and Microsoft's games strategy
We asked our Mobile Mavens how they feel about Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s "play anywhere" shift and whether the subscription service model really works for games
Hot Five
Hot Five: Zenless Zone Zero's $442m year one, King reportedly loses 10% of staff, and Toca Boca hit by layoffs
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Failure To Launch
What happens now for Xbox's mobile ambitions?
Microsoft's mobile strategy is cooked
Podcast | Episode 59
A dark day for Xbox | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 59...
Week In Views
Layoffs at Xbox raise questions about its future, and Rovio needs the greenlight from Sega | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Layoffs
Blizzard ends Warcraft Rumble development as company reportedly slashes up to 100 jobs
Move is part of sweeping cuts across Microsoft and its games division
Job Losses
Report: King loses 10% of staff as Microsoft makes games division cuts
Candy Crush maker hit hard by redundancies across games group
Industry Insights
Industry Insights: The future of Xbox, the new platform gold rush, and Supercell's experimental release strategy
Analysis from around the industry
Layoffs Imminent
Microsoft to slash more Xbox jobs as part of wider workforce reduction
This could mark the fourth major layoff at Xbox in the past 18 months
Podcast | Episode 56
The Apple Games verdict | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 56...
Jobs Roundup
June 2025’s Movers and Shakers: Unity CTO exits, Embracer appoints new CEO, Roblox gets a CFO, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Xbox Handheld
Microsoft unveils ROG Xbox Ally handhelds
New consoles will launch in winter later this year
Hot Five
Hot Five: Apple’s dedicated gaming app, Minecraft's mobile revenue surge, and earnings per install rise industry-wide
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Podcast | Episode 55
Apple faces further EU fines and Trump tariffs chaos continues | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 55...
Week In Views
FTC drops the Microsoft Activision antitrust case and mobile games have returned to growth | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Victory
FTC drops antitrust case against Microsoft’s $69bn Activision deal
The FTC tried to block the deal over competition concerns in cloud gaming and subscriptions
Xbox Mobile Store
Microsoft urges court to enforce Apple anti-steering ruling amid stalled launch of Xbox mobile store
The tech giant claims its solutions have been “stymied by Apple”
Microsoft Management
Microsoft to lay off 3% of global staff
The move could impact thousands, expected to be felt across all teams, levels and locales
Victory
Microsoft wins FTC appeal over Activision Blizzard acquisition
Court rules that the FTC failed to demonstrate the merger would harm competition
Trump Tariffs
Trump’s film industry tariffs: Will game movie adaptations be sentenced or spared?
The US president calls incentives drawing US filmmakers to other countries a "national security threat"
Earnings Report
Microsoft reports $70.1bn in Q3 revenue as demand for AI tools increase
PC Game Pass revenue grew over 45% year-over-year
Podcast | Episode 50
AppLovin and Machine Zone layoffs, celebrity marketing, and Supercell's aversion to soft launch | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 50...
Minecraft Movie
A Minecraft movie soars past $550m at the box office
The film initially made $301m globally in its first two days
Minecraft Mobile
Minecraft’s daily mobile revenue hits three-year high at $969,000 after A Minecraft Movie’s release
The mobile version has its most lucrative day since Christmas 2021 on April 12th, 2025
Podcast | Episode 49
Trump tariffs chaos and Supercell doubles down on celebrity marketing and investments | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 49...
Week In Views
Supercell's investment push, Minecraft movie rakes in $301m, and industry M&A hits $6.6bn | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Trade Wars
Trump tariffs send gaming and tech stocks tumbling amid global economic turmoil
Fallout from the emerging trade war hits the games industry
New Partnerships
Merak Capital and Microsoft team up to support gaming startups in Saudi Arabia
The partnership builds on Merak Capital's $80 million gaming fund
Jobs In Games
Microsoft Gaming names Kayleen Walters as head of Mojang Studios
Exec will be based in Redmond and will report to Microsoft's studios chief operations officer Helen Chiang
Financial Outlook
Xbox hardware sales plummet but Game Pass hits new records
Gaming revenue declined 7%, driven by a 29% drop in Xbox hardware sales
Tenuous Tiktok
Rumour: Microsoft is in talks to purchase TikTok, says Trump
President Donald Trump has claimed several companies have "great interest" in TikTok, including Microsoft
Podcast | Episode 38
Xbox and Adjust mishandle their PR and Supercell's culture revolution | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode 38...
What Is Happening?
What is Microsoft doing on mobile?
Xbox's messy mobile plans stumble again