Game News

Xbox's first COO leaves after three months, and the role sits empty in the middle of a reset

Helen Chiang, who became Xbox's first chief operating officer in July, has left Microsoft about three months into the job. Gematsu reported on 23 October that Xbox CEO Asha Sharma confirmed the departure in an internal memo, first reported by The Verge.

“Helen Chiang is leaving Microsoft today.” — Asha Sharma, internal memo, via Gematsu

Chiang had spent 21 years at Microsoft, including leading Mojang and the Minecraft franchise. Game Developer said the COO role was created during Xbox's layoffs and restructuring, with responsibility for end-to-end profit and loss, and that Sharma had said it would unify Xbox's businesses under one operating model. Her duties will be split among other Xbox leaders for now; the memo said: “We'll share more on COO leadership as plans are finalized.”

Eurogamer received a formal statement from Xbox: “We don't discuss individual personnel matters. We're grateful for Helen's years of service and wish her well.”

How each outlet framed it

• Gematsu — the confirmation: the memo, her Minecraft background, and how her work will be covered.
• Eurogamer — the official line from Xbox, which declined to discuss the reasons.
• Game Developer — the role itself: why it was created, what it controlled, and the wider Xbox reset of job cuts and studio sales, which it expects to continue.

What we don't know yet: no official reason has been given for the departure, and Game Developer said the reasons are unlikely to become public. There is no named successor.