Xbox Chief Operating Officer Helen Chiang departs Microsoft after three months

Xbox Chief Operating Officer Helen Chiang has left Microsoft after 21 years with the publisher, GamesRadar, Shacknews and Inven Global reported. Chiang had served as chief operating officer for only three months prior to her departure. [1][7][8][9]

Chiang previously led Minecraft developer Mojang Studios during her tenure at the company. The publisher is part of the Xbox division, which is led by Chief Executive Officer Asha Sharma. [1][7][12][13]

The executive exit comes amid wider changes within the gaming division. Bloomberg reported that Microsoft is exploring multiple options for studio Arkane, following earlier announcements that the publisher was cutting 3,200 jobs and separating from studios including Ninja Theory and Undead Labs, as Pure Xbox reported. [5][10][15]

Separately, media outlet Puck News reported that Netflix offered Xbox 500 million dollars for an exclusive seven year film and television licensing deal for its games, Eurogamer reported. Xbox counter offered 800 million dollars, though Xbox stated it is receiving record breaking interest in its titles and teased additional adaptations with Netflix. [2]