The leadership shake-up at Xbox is continuing. Helen Chiang, who was named the division's first-ever chief operating officer earlier this year, is leaving Microsoft after 21 years with the company, only around three months after stepping into the newly created role.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma shared the news with staff in a brief internal memo. "Helen Chiang is leaving Microsoft today. I'm grateful for her years of service and wish her well," Sharma wrote.
Who Is Taking Over Chiang's Responsibilities?
For now, nobody is stepping directly into the COO role. According to the memo, Chiang's immediate responsibilities are being split among other Xbox leaders while the company decides on its next move. "We'll share more on COO leadership as plans are finalized," Sharma added.
Xbox has not explained why Chiang is leaving. A spokesperson said the company does not discuss "individual personnel matters," but also wished her well.
A Short Tenure In A Big Job
The timing makes the departure especially surprising. Sharma announced Chiang's promotion over the summer as part of a sweeping reset of the Xbox business, describing a role with much broader reach than anything Xbox had before.
"For the first time, we are establishing a chief operating officer with end-to-end P&L responsibility across content, hardware, platform, and services," Sharma said at the time. She praised Chiang for helping build "some of our most important businesses, from Xbox Live to leading Mojang and the Minecraft franchise," and said she would "bring our businesses together under one operating model."
Chiang has been a key figure at Xbox for many years. She became studio head of Mojang in 2018 and served as corporate vice president for the Minecraft franchise from 2020, overseeing one of the best-selling games of all time during a period that included Minecraft Dungeons, Minecraft Legends and the build-up to the hugely successful A Minecraft Movie.
Her move to COO put her in charge of bringing Xbox's businesses together under Sharma's new structure, making her exit after such a short period one of the more notable leadership changes of the year.
A Year Of Big Changes At Xbox
Chiang's departure is the latest in a long list of shake-ups since Phil Spencer retired and Sharma took over as CEO. Xbox has announced plans to cut around 3,200 roles across the division, and several waves of layoffs have already taken place.
The studio lineup has also changed dramatically. Double Fine, Compulsion Games and Undead Labs have gone independent, Ninja Theory looks set to close, and Dishonored developer Arkane Lyon is searching for a partner to avoid shutting down. Obsidian was moved under Bethesda, while Rare, World's Edge and the Halo franchise were handed to Activision.
Xbox has also rethought its approach to exclusivity, bringing more of its games to other platforms. The company has said it expects the division to return to profitability in its 2027 fiscal year.
What's Ahead For Xbox
The next few years are set to be a big test for Sharma's leadership. Xbox is reportedly planning a next-generation handheld for the 2027 holiday season, followed by a new home console under the Project Helix banner in time for the 2028 holidays.
Having a clear operations leader in place would usually be a priority heading into a new hardware generation, so fans and industry watchers will be keeping an eye on who Xbox eventually names as Chiang's successor, or whether the COO position is restructured entirely.
Do you think Xbox should name a new COO quickly, or is splitting the role among existing leaders the better move right now?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.