Microsoft Gaming's new CEO, Asha Sharma, met with staff recently to introduce herself and outline some of her priorities going forward, and that include making "great games" and something about a "return to Xbox."
The discussion was held at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington and was not broadcast live, but insiders relayed what was said to Windows Central.
Sharma is reported to have said she will "do everything I can" to honor and protect the "icons, characters, worlds, and Xbox itself."
To that end, Sharma said the first of her three major commitments going forward is that, "We will deliver great games." She added: "Everything is downstream of great games--that means empowering studios to do our best work."
2026 is the 25th anniversary of Xbox, and Microsoft has a lot in store. This year, Microsoft will release Forza Horizon 6, the new Fable reboot, Halo: Campaign Evolved, and Gears of War: E-Day, among others.
Her second commitment is to "return to Xbox," she said, and this will "start with console," Sharma said.
"And make sure that we understand that this is our reference experience. We will meet players where they are, and build experiences that are instant and seamless and accessible. And third, we are living through an unprecedented era of change. We will build for the future of play," she said.
On the subject of consoles, Xbox hardware is facing challenging times of late, with declining sales figures and evidence coming to light that developers don't really want to make games for it. A new Xbox console is in the works now in partnership with AMD, and it could apparently release as soon as 2027.
Also during her chat, Sharma said she wants the various Xbox teams to work together as one single "team Xbox."
"As we think about the road ahead, it's not going to be me or any one person: We will be team Xbox. We will not be the studios or the platform or marketing or operations. We will be team Xbox, and we'll get through this together," she said.
Sharma is taking over for Phil Spencer, who is leaving the company after 38 years but staying on through the summer to help with the handoff. Xbox president Sarah Bond has left the company, while Xbox veteran Matt Booty got promoted to chief content officer.
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The discussion was held at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington and was not broadcast live, but insiders relayed what was said to Windows Central.
Sharma is reported to have said she will "do everything I can" to honor and protect the "icons, characters, worlds, and Xbox itself."
To that end, Sharma said the first of her three major commitments going forward is that, "We will deliver great games." She added: "Everything is downstream of great games--that means empowering studios to do our best work."
2026 is the 25th anniversary of Xbox, and Microsoft has a lot in store. This year, Microsoft will release Forza Horizon 6, the new Fable reboot, Halo: Campaign Evolved, and Gears of War: E-Day, among others.
Her second commitment is to "return to Xbox," she said, and this will "start with console," Sharma said.
"And make sure that we understand that this is our reference experience. We will meet players where they are, and build experiences that are instant and seamless and accessible. And third, we are living through an unprecedented era of change. We will build for the future of play," she said.
On the subject of consoles, Xbox hardware is facing challenging times of late, with declining sales figures and evidence coming to light that developers don't really want to make games for it. A new Xbox console is in the works now in partnership with AMD, and it could apparently release as soon as 2027.
Also during her chat, Sharma said she wants the various Xbox teams to work together as one single "team Xbox."
"As we think about the road ahead, it's not going to be me or any one person: We will be team Xbox. We will not be the studios or the platform or marketing or operations. We will be team Xbox, and we'll get through this together," she said.
Sharma is taking over for Phil Spencer, who is leaving the company after 38 years but staying on through the summer to help with the handoff. Xbox president Sarah Bond has left the company, while Xbox veteran Matt Booty got promoted to chief content officer.
Source