The Big Things That We're Thinking About: Xbox Interview

In a 28-minute interview conducted April 23, 2026, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and chief content officer Matt Booty elaborate on a memo to Microsoft's games team that rebrands "Microsoft Gaming" back to "Xbox" and promises a platform that is "affordable, personal, and open." The memo's priorities include fortifying Game Pass with sustainable economics, strengthening a five-year games slate, and stabilizing Gen 9 Xbox Series consoles. It also says the company will reevaluate exclusivity, windowing, and AI. The interview comes roughly 60 days after Sharma replaced Phil Spencer, who led Xbox for 12 years.

On Game Pass, Sharma tied the recent price cut and the decision to hold new Call of Duty releases out of the service for a year to attracting more subscribers and keeping them longer. She described a second phase focused on redefining value, and a reported 50-game "Starter Edition" bundled with Discord Nitro appeared to leak soon after. Booty framed the games slate around predictable cadence, a robust roadmap, and quality, which could set conditions for a Game of the Year winner. Sharma said a dedicated team is investing in Series console performance, reliability, and features, admitting Xbox hasn't invested enough there.

On the biggest open questions, the executives gave little. Exclusivity decisions are "long-swinging" with decade-long impact, to be made with a data-driven and strategic approach, with no timeline committed. Sharma wouldn't confirm whether "open" means third-party storefronts on the next-gen console, Project Helix, saying only that the platform should be open to more creators and players. On affordability, she acknowledged historically inflexible pricing but promised no price points. She said the Xbox division aims to return to growth next year, despite years of declining hardware revenue.

The piece also tracks Sharma's early moves: announcing Project Helix on day 14, retiring the "This is an Xbox" campaign on day 35, and cutting Game Pass pricing on day 60. Her stated mandate is to restore the core, strengthen PC, and overhaul discovery, with success defined as Xbox being "where the world plays."