The gaming landscape is currently recalibrating following a major leadership transition at Xbox. After Phil Spencer’s decade-long tenure at the helm, Microsoft has entrusted the future of its gaming division to Asha Sharma, a high-ranking executive transitioning from the company’s CoreAI department.
This strategic pivot has sparked considerable friction among the brand’s veteran figures. Seamus Blackley, one of the original architects of the first Xbox, has been particularly vocal in his criticism of the reshuffle. He argues that appointing a leader with a background rooted in artificial intelligence rather than gaming culture is a distressing omen, suggesting the corporation is now prioritizing AI development over the health of Xbox as a dedicated gaming ecosystem.
In a grim assessment that rapidly gained traction across social media, Blackley likened Sharma’s new role to that of a “palliative care physician,” tasked with quietly guiding the Xbox brand toward its eventual conclusion.
While Microsoft has released no official plans to move away from hardware, Blackley’s commentary reflects a growing skepticism within the industry. For her part, Sharma has attempted to allay these fears, pledging “zero tolerance for substandard AI” and asserting that games will remain a product of human ingenuity rather than “soulless” machine-generated content.
Source: iXBT.games