Xbox brings in Matthew Ball as Asha Sharma pushes another major leadership reset

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is making another major change to Microsoft’s gaming division, this time bringing in veteran industry analyst Matthew Ball as chief strategy officer. The move comes as Xbox tries to rebuild confidence in its console business after years of declining hardware momentum and mixed messaging around the platform’s future.

Ball is best known as the CEO of Epyllion and as the author of the annual State of Video Gaming Report, which is widely followed across the games industry. His first major task at Xbox will reportedly be helping the company navigate its console business, which is one of the areas where Microsoft needs the clearest turnaround plan.

Xbox is trying to rebuild its console strategy while dealing with market pressure and weaker hardware demand

The challenge ahead is not simple. Xbox consoles have lost market share during the current generation, and the broader hardware business is facing pressure from rising component costs, console price increases, and memory supply issues. These problems may also affect future hardware such as Project Helix, meaning even a better strategy will still have to work within difficult market conditions.

Sharma is also adding Scott Van Vliet as chief technology officer. Van Vliet previously worked at OpenAI and Microsoft, and he also has game industry experience through mobile titles and work on a Minecraft port for Amazon Fire TV. His first priority will reportedly be improving how efficiently Xbox builds products.

Another leadership change moves Chris Schnakenberg into the role of corporate vice president of partnerships and business development. He will now lead Xbox’s third party relationships with publishers and developers, which remains important as Microsoft balances its own studios, Game Pass, cloud gaming, and relationships with outside partners.

Sharma told staff that the changes are meant to strengthen Xbox’s foundation, create more clarity, and improve execution. That message fits with the wider reset she has already started. Under her leadership, Xbox has reportedly moved away from the “This is an Xbox” campaign, lowered the price of Game Pass Ultimate, asked players for more direct feedback, changed branding, and ended Gaming Copilot.

The pattern is clear. Xbox is not making one isolated change. It is trying to correct course across leadership, messaging, player trust, subscription pricing, and hardware strategy. Even without a public admission that earlier plans failed, the scale of the changes shows that Microsoft knows the old approach was not working well enough.

Ball’s hiring may be the most interesting part because Xbox’s biggest question is strategic, not only technical. Microsoft has strong studios, a large subscription service, cloud gaming infrastructure, and major franchises, but it still needs to explain why people should buy Xbox hardware in a market where many Xbox games are available elsewhere.

This is also connected to the recent Xbox Player Voice discussion, where many fans asked Microsoft to bring back stronger exclusives. That feedback pointed to the same core issue: Xbox needs a clearer identity. If Ball can help Sharma define the role of Xbox consoles in Microsoft’s wider gaming business, this leadership reset could matter.

For now, the changes are promising on paper. The real test will come over the next year, as Xbox prepares its next showcase, future hardware plans, and a stronger answer to why its console platform still matters.