This is a return 13 years after leaving the Microsoft gaming division. His appointment was congratulated by industry veterans, including Larry Hryb and Aaron Greenberg, which speaks to a warm welcome.
The appointment is no coincidence – Chinchotta is considered a trusted person by the new head of Xbox, Ashu Sharma. They worked together in Microsoft marketing in 2013, and then crossed paths at Porch Group. In recent years, he has been involved in the "cloud" direction and AI at Microsoft, which makes him a link between Satya Nadella's technological ambitions and the gaming audience familiar to him since the Xbox 360 era.
In the role of Chief of Staff, he will become Sharma's right-hand man and a key advisor on operational issues. Although there are other executives in similar positions in the Xbox structure, Chinchotta will be closest to the CEO. His return is seen as an attempt to combine gaming experience and a focus on AI.