Minecraft exec takes the reins of Microsoft Studios

Matt Booty, previously head of Minecraft, has just become the second top gaming executive at Microsoft. The industry veteran and former CEO of Midway Games has been promoted to Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Studios and will report directly to Phil Spencer.

Spencer himself was recently promoted to Executive Vice President of Gaming at Microsoft and now reports directly to CEO Satya Nadella. In an interview with GamesBeat, the head of Xbox explained that his recent promotion to a strategic role led the Xbox division to need someone to oversee Microsoft’s game studios and publishing efforts. “I wanted to make sure we had the right organization in place to deliver on our content goals,” explained Spencer, who spoke highly of Booty’s accomplishments as head of Minecraft. “He’s done an incredible job nurturing that franchise, both before we acquired Mojang and after, as Minecraft continues to grow,” Spencer said.

Thanks so much for the kind words, everyone. It’s been an honor to lead the Minecraft franchise, and I’m incredibly excited to support our first party game teams in my new role.

— Matt Booty (@mattbooty) January 17, 2018

Booty, who started his career as a programmer and game designer will be laser-focused on delivering great games. “Most important will be to get behind the idea that we live and die by the great games we make. Content is extremely important to our strategy going forward,” Booty said to GamesBeat. “That’s the approach I have, to come into it as a service role, as an opportunity to provide a layer of leadership and help to the studio heads, so they can focus on making great games,” he added.

Further reading: Microsoft, Microsoft Studios, Video Games, Xbox