It feels like an end of an era. Phil Spencer, the current as of this writing but former when this is published Microsoft Gaming division, is stepping down. The man started out as an intern way back in 1988 and managed to work his way up to the top of the corporate ladder. His name became synonymous to the Xbox brand as he helped developed Microsoft’s then fledging gaming console to one of the Big Three consoles of several generations. Despite me being a solid Sony PlayStation fanboy, I do have a lot of respect for Phil Spencer. He’s been the one to sort of steer the metaphorical ship during the Xbox’s most troubling periods, such as the disastrous launch of the Xbox One. He’s been trying to keep the ship afloat ever since and I applaud him for trying his best and making moves, like creating the Xbox Game Pass and championing cross-platform gameplay. So, yeah, I’m sad he’s leaving.

Normally, this would just mean someone else would be moving up to take his place and, like most gamers who have been following gaming news, we expected that Sarah Bond, the actual President of the Xbox division, would be taking over. But, in a shocking twist, it’s being reported that she isn’t and, doubly shocking, Sarah Bond will also be leaving her position, if she hadn’t yet! Instead, Asha Sharma and Matt Booty are essentially stepping into these roles.

Normally, I would be the one saying that a company as big as Xbox will be able to survive this corporate shuffling but, in this case, I can’t. In fact, I believe that, in the future, when we’re all talking about how the Xbox died or how it’s changed so much it has become a shadow of its former self, we will be talking about this specific point in time.

First off, like I said, while I’m not an Xbox fan, I do have respect for Phil Spencer. Why? Because he’s a gamer! I might not have any proof that he is but I can just tell. He doesn’t feel like a corporate suit who just so happened to become the CEO of a gaming company. No, there’s a passion in his voice whenever he talks about video games. There’s a little twinkle in his eye when you see him hold a controller. Then again, I can’t really say the same thing for Sarah Bond. I honestly would be hesitant if she were handed over the reins of the Microsoft Gaming division as I never really saw her as a true blue gamer. But that’s not the here or now as she is also leaving Microsoft and Xbox. Still, the mere fact that she worked closely with Phil Spencer, someone that I do respect, would make me willing to give her a chance.

I also have huge doubts if Asha Sharma and Matt Booty have the same love for games I assume Phil Spencer has. Let’s talk about Matt Booty first because, at the very least, he was the head of Xbox Game Studios, essentially the first-party game division of Xbox. My problem with him is, during his tenure, there wasn’t really a first-party game that made me want to rush out and buy a brand new Xbox. In fact, I can’t really think of an “Xbox Exclusive” game that even made me want to subscribe to the Xbox Game Pass! The closest I’ve ever got was with Hi-Fi Rush when it was an Xbox exclusive title. That feeling quickly died down when I realized my PC could play it. Why get an entire new console when my mid-tier gaming PC can still play it?

However, my biggest worry is with Asha Sharma and that’s because of her background. Before being promoted to the head honcho of Microsoft Gaming and essentially everything Xbox related, Asha Sharma was the lead of Microsoft’s Core AI Group. The idea that the head of the company’s AI division is now going to be controlling its gaming division is very distressing. Right now, AI has gotten a bad rap and, honestly, that’s for good reason. As good as some people believe it is, AI still doesn’t hold a candle to human creativity. So, I can’t help that her former ties as part of Microsoft’s AI division will leak its way into how she manages her duties over at Xbox now. She does say, in her buzzword filled first memo as the head of Microsoft Gaming, that she doesn’t plan to “flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop”. Well, I believe that when I see it.

But, weirdly enough, that isn’t the thing that bothers me the most. No, my biggest issue with Asha Sharma is she is definitely not a gamer. How can I tell when most people are just finding about who she is right now? Well, she practically said it in her first ever memo after getting appointed the role.

She starts out by saying she’s very humbled with getting the job. Okay, that’s fine. She also thanks Phil Spencer for all the hard work he’s done. Sure. But the troubling thing comes after she does thank Phil Spencer. She said, and I quote: “My first job is simple: understand what makes this work and protect it.”

Oh, lord.

So, are you telling us, the gaming community, that you have no idea why people love playing video games? Okay, I may be reading too much into that one little sentence. But to me, that speaks volumes on how much she does not know why video gaming is such big deal? I understand that you don’t have to be a gamer to be a corporate leader but that doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. It also doesn’t show me you have any passion for the industry you’re going to essentially be the leader of. This is a job for Asha Sharma. She’s going to learn the business side of things and do all the business parts of it. Her job is to make Xbox as profitable as possible. Or, at the very least, try to stem the Xbox and Microsoft Division’s current downturn of profits.

As it stands right now, all of this gloom and doom I and many others have been spouting, is still just speculation. None of us knows what the future will hold. Maybe Asha Sharma and Matt Booty actually do a good job and revive the Xbox brand to its former glory. I’m not exactly holding my breath, though. While I don’t actually believe the Xbox brand will die, I also don’t believe the Xbox brand will be what it is under their leadership. Something will happen. The safe money is they’ll direct Microsoft to stop making Xbox consoles and just become a gaming publisher, following in SEGA‘s footsteps. That’s what I believe. But that also means the end of an era for Xbox and gaming in general. Whatever does happen, I don’t think the Xbox brand will be the Xbox brand that gamers know and love. And that is indeed truly troubling.

What do you think will happen with the Xbox brand under this new leadership? Let me know in the comments section below!