![\"Asha](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEI_286431231-1f1b.jpg\")
\n\t\tAsha Sharma and Matt Booty are leading the charge (Microsoft)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tAsha Sharma and Matt Booty are leading the charge (Microsoft)<\/p>\n
Microsoft<\/a>\u2019s new gaming CEO has outlined the future of Xbox<\/a>, including a potential pivot on exclusive games and an emphasis on \u2018flexible pricing\u2019.<\/p>\n Xbox boss Asha Sharma has been in charge for two months<\/a> but she\u2019s already made some notable announcements within that time, including a price drop for Xbox Game Pass<\/a> and a codename reveal<\/a> for Microsoft\u2019s next console.<\/p>\n When her appointment was announced, Sharma served up several vague platitudes related to the future of Xbox, placing an emphasis on avoiding \u2018soulless AI slop\u2019 and returning to the \u2018renegade spirit that built Xbox in the first place\u2019.<\/p>\n It\u2019s still not clear what this means in practical terms, but Sharma has served up another lengthy blog post designed to define what Xbox is trying to do moving forward.<\/p>\n In the blog post<\/a>, titled \u2018We Are Xbox\u2019, there are few concrete details, but it does at least acknowledge some failure on Microsoft\u2019s part to connect with \u2018frustrated\u2019 players.<\/p>\n \u2018New feature drops on console have been less frequent,\u2019 it reads. \u2018Our presence on PC isn\u2019t strong enough. Pricing is getting harder for people to keep up with. And core experiences like search, discovery, social, and personalisation still feel too fragmented.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tExpert, exclusive gaming analysis\t\t\t<\/p>\n Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter<\/a> for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.<\/p>\n \u2018Developers and publishers are asking for more, too: better tools, better insights, and a platform that helps them grow faster,\u2019 they add. \u2018The model that got us here won\u2019t be the one that takes us forward.\u2019<\/p>\n Beneath all the word salad, there are a couple of takeaways. The first is a reacknowledgement that Xbox will maintain the \u2018play where you want\u2019 mentality, with Microsoft\u2019s next console, Project Helix, serving as a \u2018foundation\u2019, and the cloud bringing \u2018that experience to any device\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018Xbox will be built to be affordable, personal, and open,\u2019 it reads. \u2018We will offer flexible pricing so it\u2019s easy to get started and keep playing. The experience will adapt to you, letting you customise how you play, helping you find what you\u2019ll love, and connecting you with the right people.\u2019<\/p>\n This emphasis on flexibility looks to include some form of partnership with Discord. Sharma previously teased<\/a> a collaboration on X, and a datamine of an upcoming update (via ResetEra<\/a>) refers to an \u2018Xbox Game Pass (Starter Edition)\u2019, which will apparently be given to paying users of Discord as part of their Nitro subscription.<\/p>\n Sharma states the \u2018new north star\u2019 for Xbox in terms of metrics is \u2018daily active players\u2019, with plans to expand into China and \u2018mobile first audiences\u2019, while promoting \u2018creator-centric platforms\u2019 like Minecraft<\/a> and The Elder Scrolls Online.<\/p>\n Crucially, she confirms Xbox is considering a new stance on game exclusivity \u2013 something Microsoft has steered away from over the past few years in light of low Xbox Series X\/S sales<\/a>. \u2018Along the way, we will re-evaluate our approach to exclusivity, windowing, and AI, and share more as we learn and decide,\u2019 it adds.<\/p>\n \t\t It\u2019s not confirmation that Xbox will pivot back to exclusive games, but it\u2019s a sign that the current strategy will change in some way. Interestingly, Sony<\/a> appears to be moving away from a multiplatform tilt too, with reports it is no longer planning<\/a> to release PC ports for its first party games.<\/p>\n The only other takeaway is a rebrand from Microsoft Gaming to \u2018Xbox\u2019. \u2018Our best work happens when the full stack moves together,\u2019 the post reads. \u2018Microsoft Gaming describes our structure but it does not describe our ambition. So, we are going back to where we started and changing our team\u2019s name. We are Xbox.\u2019<\/p>\n Considering no one outside of Microsoft likely ever called its gaming division \u2018Microsoft Gaming\u2019, it\u2019s an entirely performative annoucement. Nevertheless, when sandwiched next to its recent (and now dropped<\/a>) ad campaigns, which downplayed Xbox consoles, it\u2019s a clear attempt to reassert the brand in the public consciousness.<\/p>\n As ever with Microsoft, it\u2019s a lot of bluster without much to show for it \u2013 but we\u2019ll have to see if Project Helix can actually make Xbox an appealing prospect again in the console space when it does launch, supposedly sometime next year<\/a>.<\/p>\n While Microsoft tries to drum up enthusiasm around Xbox, the company appears to be preparing for another round of layoffs. According to CNBC<\/a>, Microsoft is planning to offer voluntary buyouts for up to 7% of its employees in the US. In corporate America, this is often a prelude to mandatory layoffs.<\/p>\n \t\t Email\u00a0gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a>, leave a comment below,\u00a0follow us on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n To submit Inbox letters and Reader\u2019s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our\u00a0Submit Stuff page here<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more stories like this,\u00a0check our Gaming page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Xbox](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEI_283297889-3a12.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe Xbox Series X\/S has been a failure (Microsoft)<\/p>\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEI_286497228-e6db.jpg\")
\n\t\tAsha Sharma comes from an AI background (Microsoft)<\/p>\n
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