Xbox Marketing Chief Leaves Microsoft

Microsoft Xbox marketing chief will be departing Microsoft at the end of the summer to "pursue other opportunities."

Microsoft has announced executive changes in its gaming business, including the departure of once-lauded head of marketing for its Interactive Entertainment Business, Jeff Bell, who is leaving the company after just two years to “pursue other opportunities.”

Microsoft is promoting two executives to new positions in its gaming business: Shane Kim will become VP of strategy and business development, while six-year Microsoft gaming vet Phil Spencer will take over as the general manager for Microsoft Game Studios. Spencer has been managing Microsoft Game Studios in Europe; the promotion will see him pick up from the UK and move to Redmond.

Jeff Bell came to Microsoft in 2006 as a much-touted marketing executive who helped turn around the Jeep and Chrysler brands at DaimlerChrysler, in part by kick-starting the company’s video game marketing strategies. “The time is right for me to pursue my life’s passion of consumer brand marketing and the creative and services that drive it,” Bell said in a statement. “Coming from automotive, and now technology and entertainment, I am excited to expand to new industries and categories.”

Microsoft credits Bell will “driving a cultural change” in the way Microsoft markets its entertainment products, including its mammoth promotional campaign for Halo 3; Bell was well known for his often breathless, over-the-top exhortation of Microsoft gaming products. Bell will work with Don Mattrick, senior VP of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, to ensure a smooth transition while Microsoft searches for a replacement.