Xbox Appoints Analyst Matthew Ball as Chief Strategy Officer

Xbox has named game industry analyst Matthew Ball as its new chief strategy officer. The appointment was announced by Xbox CEO Asha Sharma on Wednesday. Sharma said Ball has been advising Xbox on strategy since she took the role 90 days ago. He will begin the position this month and report directly to her.

Xbox also named Scott Van Vliet as chief technology officer.

Van Vliet previously led Azure AI infrastructure at Microsoft and has worked at Amazon on Fire TV and the Appstore. Chris Schnakenberg was promoted to corporate vice president of partnerships and business development. The changes follow earlier additions of staff from Microsoft’s CoreAI division.

Sharma said the appointments aim to strengthen Xbox’s foundation and improve execution. She noted the division has a clear strategy but still needs to turn it into better products. ” — Asha Sharma, Xbox CEO, May 20, 2026 (The Verge) Xbox is preparing a showcase presentation next month that will include a roadmap for the rest of 2026.

The division is also celebrating its 25th anniversary later this year. Sharma said further changes are expected as the company works to position Xbox for the future.