Microsoft's Xbox division has hired Matthew Ball as chief strategy officer and Scott Van Vliet as chief technology officer, continuing the leadership adjustments under gaming boss Asha Sharma.
The appointments form part of continued leadership adjustments at Xbox following the major reorganization announced earlier this month. Ball previously served as head of strategy at Amazon Studios and works as a venture capitalist. He has written about the metaverse and noted in his State of Video Gaming report that games compete for attention against platforms such as TikTok, crypto, AI apps and OnlyFans. His initial focus will be on bolstering the console business amid rising component costs. Van Vliet joins as chief technology officer.