“Our Journey Begins”: Phil Spencer Officially Hands Xbox Over to Asha Sharma and Says Goodbye to the Team

Phil Spencer has officially handed over leadership of Microsoft Gaming and personally met with the Xbox team to say farewell.

Aaron Greenberg, a longtime ally of Spencer’s, wrote on social media that it was an “emotional day” — filled with gratitude for everything Phil has done for the team and the industry, as well as optimism about the promises of the new leadership. He also shared a video from the meeting.

Spencer himself wrote that after 38 years at Microsoft, the time had finally come to step away. He described his journey as “the privilege of a lifetime” and was the first to publicly welcome his successor: “I’m excited for Asha Sharma — she’s stepping into an incredible team.”

New Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma shared her thoughts following the meeting.

The industry responded warmly to Spencer’s departure — former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé wrote that the gaming industry is better because of his contributions. Spencer will remain an advisor through the end of summer before officially leaving the company. Sharma concluded her post simply: “Our journey begins.”

Earlier, we reported that original Xbox creator Seamus Blackley described Sharma as a “palliative care doctor leading Xbox into the night” — and that the new Microsoft Gaming chief herself admitted she had only recently created an Xbox account.

What did Phil Spencer and his era at Xbox mean to you? Share your thoughts in the comments.