{"id":812584,"date":"2026-10-24T16:34:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T16:34:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/812584\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T16:34:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T16:34:14","slug":"xboxs-first-ever-chief-operating-officer-leaves-role-just-three-months-after-it-was-created","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/812584\/","title":{"rendered":"Xbox’s First-Ever Chief Operating Officer Leaves Role Just Three Months After It Was Created"},"content":{"rendered":"

Helen Chiang, Xbox\u2019s first-ever chief operating officer, is no longer in the role just three months after it was created, as told by CEO Asha Sharma in an internal memo today.<\/p>\n

The memo, verified by The Verge<\/a>, included a brief statement from Sharma regarding Chiang\u2019s exit. \u201cHelen Chiang is leaving Microsoft today. I\u2019m grateful for her years of service and wish her well,\u201d Sharma said. \u201cWe\u2019ll share more on COO leadership as plans are finalized.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chiang had been with Xbox for an astonishing 21 years. Previously, she was in charge of the Minecraft<\/a> franchise, and shifted roles to chief operating officer in July 2026. <\/p>\n

Xbox and IKEA Furniture Collaboration Photos\"Xbox<\/p>\n

The reason for Chiang\u2019s promotion and the job duties of the COO were outlined in a statement by Sharma amid news of Xbox\u2019s massive restructuring<\/a> this summer. According to Sharma, the role was necessary to \u201cwork toward a shared goal, make the right tradeoffs, and get things done\u201d as Xbox\u2019s headcount grew and the company became \u201cmore fragmented.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first time, we are establishing a Chief Operating Officer with end-to-end P&L responsibility across content, hardware, platform, and services. Helen Chiang has been promoted to this role and will report directly to me,\u201d Sharma said at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver nearly two decades at Xbox, Helen has helped build some of our most important businesses, from Xbox Live to leading Mojang and the Minecraft franchise. She will bring our businesses together under one operating model, making sure we make clear investment decisions, learn from our successes and failures, and hold ourselves accountable for results.\u201d<\/p>\n

As noted by The Verge, the reason for Chiang\u2019s brief tenure in this specific role has not yet been divulged, but it\u2019s certainly a striking move, given her 21 years with the company prior to this.<\/p>\n

Xbox is predicted to continue layoffs as part of its ongoing internal restructuring, with 3,200 total employees expected to lose their jobs this year. Several studios have been divested as a result of this rework, though some have managed to find their footing, as is the case with Double Fine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Others, however, remain in limbo; Arkane Lyon, the studio that\u2019s currently working on Marvel\u2019s Blade<\/a>, faces closure as soon as mid-November if a buyer isn\u2019t found.<\/a> The studio was also impacted by the reshuffling at Microsoft, leaving both fans and industry insiders biting their nails in hope that the project finds a new home.<\/p>\n

Marvel’s Blade Concept Art\"\"<\/p>\n

Other companies in the games industry aren\u2019t faring any better. Just this week, EA announced the closure of 30-year-old RPG powerhouse BioWare<\/a>, known for making games like Dragon Age, Jade Empire, and Mass Effect. The next Mass Effect game was also canceled, prompting worldwide outcry from players and calls for a boycott.<\/a><\/p>\n

A full-length trailer<\/a> for the game was also leaked online, rubbing more salt in the wound thanks to just how fantastic it looked. And while fans are crossing their fingers that EA either sells BioWare\u2019s IP or hands them over to another studio, analysts say this isn\u2019t likely.<\/a> Oh, well \u2014 at least the Prime Video series is still alive.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Virginia<\/p>\n

Virginia (she\/her) is IGN\u2019s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she\u2019s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Helen Chiang, Xbox\u2019s first-ever chief operating officer, is no longer in the role just three months after it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":812585,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[59,86,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-812584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-gb","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=812584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/812585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=812584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=812584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=812584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}