Twitch Hires ‘Halo’ and Xbox Veteran Matt McCloskey as VP of Commerce

Gaming vet Matt McCloskey — former chief operating officer of Microsoft’s 343 Industries, the studio that maintains the “Halo” franchise — is joining Twitch in the newly created role of VP of commerce.

At Twitch, McCloskey will be responsible for growing economic activity on the platform to help support content creators, specifically focused on the current Cheering and Bits program (which lets fans purchase emoji to “cheer” for their favorite gamers) and streamer subscriptions businesses. In addition, he is tasked with creating new engagement opportunities for game developers on Twitch.

McCloskey spent 12 years at Microsoft’s Xbox and 343 Industries. At 343, he ran services engineering, finance, business operations, and strategy teams and executive produced live-action online series “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn.” Before joining 343 Industries in 2010, he led several business strategy initiatives across Xbox and Xbox Live, including managing business development, finance, and operations for the Xbox’s third-party publishing business, working with publishers and developers including EA, Activision, Square Enix, and Take-Two Interactive. Before Microsoft, he worked in legal departments for AT&T Wireless and Qpass.

“I was attracted to Twitch’s unrelenting dedication to creators,” McCloskey said in a statement. “As a lifelong gamer surrounded by lifelong gamers, finding new ways to support our passion is a fantastic opportunity. Also, as Twitch continues to expand to other content categories, it will be a transformative experience to help all types of creators make a living doing what they love.”

McCloskey holds a law degree from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and French from Seattle University.