According to a recent report, two senior leaders at Xbox will be departing the company at an unknown date. The leaders include Lori Wright, the corporate VP of partnerships, business development, and marketing, as well as Haiyan Zhang, the general manager of gaming AI at Xbox.
Wright states that she is leaving after an “incredible decade” at Xbox. Currently, she hasn’t yet stated what her next steps will be, or the reason for her departure. As for Zhang, she will “step into the next phase of [her] career” as she joins Netflix’s gaming team. The change comes almost a month after former Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer retired and Xbox President Sarah Bond resigned. In their place, Asha Sharma took the reins as Microsoft Gaming CEO and Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty took over as Chief Content Officer of Microsoft Gaming.
Recently, during the Xbox Developer Summit keynote address at GDC 2026, Microsoft Gaming revealed that it plans to ship alpha version development kits of the next-generation Xbox console, codenamed Project Helix, in 2027. Xbox is also planning on “rolling out new ways to play some of the most iconic games from our past” to celebrate the brand’s 25th anniversary in 2026.
Further, Xbox mode will be releasing on Windows 11 for desktop PCs and handhelds in April in select markets. Windows 11’s Xbox mode previously made its debut on ROG Xbox Ally handheld gaming devices. The console will seemingly be able to play both Xbox and PC games. Lastly, during the company’s 25th anniversary, Xbox will release games such as Forza Horizon 6, Fable, Halo: Campaign Evolved, and Gears of War: E-Day for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.
