Xbox COO And Minecraft Lead Helen Chiang Reportedly Fired For Policy Violations

Xbox Veteran Who Left The Company After More Than Two Decades Was Reportedly Fired Xbox Published Oct 26, 2026, 4:01 AM EDT Josh Coulson is an editor at TheGamer covering breaking news on everything from colorful platformers to the latest Lego sets. Primarily a news writer since 2018, Josh has covered just about every major game from the past decade. Now an editor, their focus has shifted to being the leading affiliate expert at the site, building relationships between TheGamer and global brands including Mattel, Funko, and The Pokemon Company. Sign in to your TheGamer account It’s been a busy year for high-profile Xbox departures, and on Friday another long-term, high-level employee left the company. Helen Chiang, who had been a leader at Xbox for more than 20 years, is now gone, and reports circulating since suggest she was fired rather than leaving of her own accord. Mojang/Xbox Chiang had been the Minecraft lead at Xbox ever since the publisher acquired Mojang in 2014. That was until earlier this year when, as part of the ongoing Xbox reshuffle, she stepped into the role of COO instead, a new title that hadn’t previously existed at the company until it was given to Chiang a few months ago. Now Chiang isn’t at Xbox at all, and the running joke after the news broke on Friday was that she took one look at what’s going on outside of her Minecraft bubble and peaced out. That doesn’t seem to be the case, as it’s now being reported that Chiang didn’t leave, but she was terminated due to unspecified policy violations. That’s according to Eurogamer, which claims a verified source familiar with the situation confirmed that Chiang had been terminated from her role as COO. While that part comes from a verified source that can’t be independently confirmed, the site was also issued a statement by Xbox that reads, “We don't discuss individual personnel matters. We're grateful for Helen's years of service and wish her well.” Chiang Made Huge Contributions To Minecraft's Success In the internal email sent to Xbox employees informing them of Chiang’s departure, Asha Sharma notes there will be an update on the COO position in the future. No immediate replacement for Chiang leans into the claims that she was suddenly fired rather than informed Xbox she would be leaving and eventually left of her own accord. It also seems as if the position will remain and someone else will be appointed in due course. Chiang’s sudden departure is an odd one, especially if the reports that she was fired are accurate. As noted by Windows Central, not only is Chiang well-regarded by almost everyone at Xbox, but she has been integral to Minecraft’s success over the last 12 years, spearheading its rollout onto various consoles and mobile platforms while Mojang has been under Xbox. The unrest at Xbox continues with its “reset” ongoing until the end of the current financial year, at least. That means more layoffs and a decision on the fate of Arkane Lyon. It was originally claimed that the Blade studio has until November 13 to find a buyer, although it’s believed that deadline has now been extended to December 13.