Reports suggest that Microsoft will be re-organizing the leadership team of Xbox, highlighted by the appointment of the first-ever woman president of any of the big three console companies.
In a report from The Verge, a memo from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer suggested Sarah Bond, former corporate vice president of Xbox, will now be taking over as the company’s president.
“Sarah Bond will lead this team as president of Xbox, bringing together Devices, Player & Creator Experiences, Platform Engineering, Strategy, Business Planning, Data & Analytics and Business Development,” Spencer said in the memo obtained by The Verge.
If true, this will be the first time that a woman has been appointed as president of any of the big three console companies, with Sony (PlayStation) and Nintendo being the other two. Bond would manage and oversee everything about Xbox, ranging from the hardware and software aspects of the company.
“To manage the platform of today, and build the platform of tomorrow, we are bringing together the teams that will make this possible,” Spencer added.
The report also listed the other names who will join Bond in heading Xbox. This includes Matt Booty, who is now the president of Game Content and Studios at Microsoft. Spencer also mentioned in the memo that Booty will be overseeing Xbox game studios ZeniMax and Bethesda. Though, Spencer reportedly noted that “ZeniMax will continue to operate as a limited integration entity led by Jamie Leder, President and CEO, reporting to Matt.”
As for Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, he will remain as the studio’s head until the end of 2023, according to the memo. Another internal company memo also listed a handful of changes to Xbox, such as the promotion of Takeshi Numoto as chief marketing officer. Yusuf Mehdi, on the other hand, will reportedly become the consumer chief marketing officer for the company.
