Highlights
- Matthew Ball joins Xbox as chief strategy officer to strengthen the company’s console business.
- Scott Van Vliet was appointed CTO after leading Azure OpenAI and AI Core infrastructure at Microsoft.
- Xbox continues executive restructuring under CEO Asha Sharma ahead of its Project Helix console plans.
Xbox has appointed industry analyst, Matthew Ball, as chief strategy officer (CSO) and former Microsoft AI infrastructure executive, Scott Van Vliet, as chief technology officer (CTO). The hires are part of a broader leadership overhaul under chief executive officer (CEO) Asha Sharma.
The appointments arrive during a period of major internal restructuring at Xbox following Sharma’s succession of longtime gaming executive Phil Spencer earlier in 2026. The company has been reorganizing leadership teams while pushing for faster product execution and clearer long-term direction across its gaming business.
Ball, widely known for publishing the annual ‘State of Video Gaming’ report, will focus on strengthening Xbox’s console business as the hardware market faces increasing pressure from rising memory and storage costs. Earlier this year, Ball stated that he was “pretty frightened” by the challenges facing the console sector.
Xbox Targets Faster Product Development Under Asha Sharma
Before joining Xbox, Ball worked as head of strategy and planning at Amazon Studios and later became CEO of Epyllion. He also authored The Metaverse and currently serves as a venture partner at Makers Fund and a senior advisor at KKR & Co.
Van Vliet will oversee Xbox’s technology and product infrastructure. He previously led Azure OpenAI and AI Core infrastructure at Microsoft and managed Microsoft Teams engineering during the COVID-19 pandemic. His gaming background includes roles tied to Amazon Game Studios, the Amazon App Store, Alexa, and work on Minecraft: Fire TV Edition.
Earlier, he led digital gaming initiatives at Mattel involving brands such as Barbie and Angry Birds.
Xbox also promoted Chris Schnakenberg to corporate vice president of partnerships and business development. He previously worked at Activision Blizzard before joining Xbox, and now oversees relationships with third-party publishers and developers.
“These changes are about strengthening our foundation by creating more clarity and improving execution,” Sharma wrote in an internal email referenced by The Game Business.
The executive changes follow additional leadership appointments connected to Xbox’s upcoming Project Helix console initiative. They also reflect Microsoft’s continued effort to reposition Xbox in an increasingly competitive gaming and platform market.
