Asha Sharma Assumes Leadership of Microsoft Gaming in New Era

• Asha Sharma has been named the CEO of Microsoft Gaming
• She is a seasoned technology executive and one of the most prominent women of color in the gaming industry
• Her appointment has come at a time when AI is also impacting the gaming industry

Microsoft has announced Asha Sharma will now lead Microsoft Gaming, marking a fundamental change in leadership, as well as a strategic shift at a time when the gaming business is facing challenges related to increased competition, changing habits of consumers and the ever-growing demand for AI-based solutions.

Asha assumes her new role with Microsoft Gaming at a time when there are several issues impacting the success of Microsoft Gaming.

This includes slowing growth of revenue from gaming; an increase in manufacturing costs associated with producing video gaming consoles; and the intense level of competition from other game companies, such as Sony PlayStation, that offer similar types of gaming on their platforms.

She assumes this new position following Microsoft's completion of its successful acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which gave Microsoft Gaming significantly larger gaming-related product offerings as well as increased expectations from gamers and investors.

Under the leadership of Asha, has the opportunity to overcome these challenges and at the same time position itself to enhance operational efficiencies and improve current gaming consoles (including Xbox consoles), enable cloud gaming and create the next generation of gaming through integration of technology and storytelling.