Former Xbox president Sarah Bond thanked former CEO Phil Spencer and congratulated his successor, Asha Sharma, in a letter sent to all staff as news broke that she was leaving after eight years with the company.

Xbox CEO Phil Spencer announced his retirement from Microsoft after nearly 40 years yesterday (21st February), amid a major leadership shakeup for the gaming brand that’ll see Microsoft’s current president of CoreAI, Asha Sharma, take over the role, and Xbox president Bond depart the company.

In a message shared via LinkedIn, Bond said she will “remain on as a Special Advisor to Asha to help ensure a smooth transition,” but stressed, “this is the right time for me to take my next step, both personally and professionally”. She did not share what those next steps would be.

“I’ve had the privilege of spending time with [new CEO] Asha over the last few weeks as we’ve planned for this transition, and I’ve seen firsthand her deep commitment to our players, developers, and brand,” Bond said.

“She brings deep technology and commerce experience, along with a strong track record of building and scaling platforms that the world uses. Xbox deserves this. I’m excited to see her lead this next chapter for our team.”

Bond added: “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together over the past eight-plus years. PC and cloud gaming are growing faster than ever, our next console is well underway, and together we’ve helped lay the foundation for a more open gaming platform that spans devices and reaches players around the world.”

She closed on thanking Spencer for his “mentorship and friendship over the years”, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella for “his sponsorship and support throughout my time at Microsoft”.

In her first email to staff as CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Sharma wrote, “I feel two things at once: humility and urgency. Humility because this team has built something extraordinary over decades. Urgency because gaming is in a period of rapid change, and we need to move with clarity and conviction.”

Spencer said: “Today marks an exciting new chapter for Microsoft Gaming as Asha Sharma steps into the role of CEO, and I want to be the first to welcome her to this incredible team.”