Microsoft’s Xbox division has announced leadership team changes: Matthew Ball is joining as Chief Strategy Officer, and engineer Scott Van Vliet is Chief Technology Officer. Additionally Christopher Schnakenberg has been promoted to Corporate Vice President, Partnerships & Business Development.
Matthew Ball
Matthew Ball will report directly to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. Ball has been collaborating with Xbox since early in Sharma’s tenure and begins formal duties this month, focusing on revitalising Xbox’s console business and strengthening long-term planning. His responsibilities include guiding hardware decisions, market positioning, and strategic initiatives across Xbox platforms.
Ball is a highly respected industry analyst, known for his annual “State of Video Gaming” reports and for authoring the book “The Metaverse And How It Will Revolutionize Everything”, which explores the future of interactive digital spaces. He founded Epyllion, a consulting and production firm specialising in emerging technologies and entertainment platforms. Over the years, Ball’s data-driven insights and influential presentations on the industry have made him a key voice in shaping gaming strategies globally.
The appointment of Ball coincides with a broader leadership restructuring under Asha Sharma, who has rebranded Microsoft Gaming to Xbox and adjusted Game Pass subscription pricing. Ball’s guidance will be important to the revised strategy, as Xbox navigates console stagnation issues, shifting consumer behaviour, and increased competition from rivals like Sony and Nintendo.
Christopher Schnakenberg
Christopher Schnakenberg brings decades of experience in entertainment. He is known for his expertise in platform strategy, partner relations, and interactive gaming ecosystems, and he has contributed to building successful partnerships, guiding platform innovations, and helping gaming companies maximise shareholder value.
Scott Van Vliet
Scott Van Vliet’s career spans over two decades, and he is a corporate leader with extensive experience in AI, cloud infrastructure, and large-scale platform engineering. Van Vliet led Azure OpenAI and AI Core Infrastructure, overseeing the development and operation of model training and inference platforms that power Microsoft’s advanced AI services.
In 2026, Van Vliet expanded his influence by joining the Board of Directors at Xoriant, contributing strategic oversight to the company’s Applied Intelligence vision and its ORIAN AI Studio, aimed at delivering AI-driven outcomes for enterprises globally. His leadership is recognised for combining engineering depth, product intuition, and strategic foresight, shaping both Microsoft’s AI initiatives and industry-wide AI adoption trends.
Related Post: Asha Sharma named Microsoft Gaming EVP and CEO.
