Xbox’s new boss Asha Sharma refuses to rule out the return of exclusive games
Newly appointed Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has outlined Microsoft’s strategic direction for the gaming division following her memo to staff. She emphasized that Xbox is re-evaluating its approach to exclusive games but will not rush into decisions, stating she wants to make “the right decision, not the fastest decision” because such moves represent “long-swinging decisions that have decade-long impact.”
According to Sharma, any decision on exclusives will be informed by multiple approaches: “We’ll take a data-driven approach and a strategic-driven approach, and then we’ll look at our principles and we’ll make some calls.” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reportedly views Xbox as “critical” to the company’s future with a ten-year vision for the platform.
Sharma’s immediate strategy prioritizes Game Pass growth and expansion of subscriber numbers, while also investing in features for the upcoming Project Helix next-generation console. However, next-generation hardware development faces challenges from the global memory shortage crisis, which will impact timelines and costs.
In the near term, Xbox is focusing on stabilizing and enhancing the current-generation Xbox Series X|S consoles as a “first-class experience.” A dedicated team has been formed to invest in console features, performance, reliability, and quality to ensure players have an excellent gameplay and platform experience.
Additionally, Sharma has prioritized affordability across Xbox’s ecosystem. She acknowledged that previous pricing decisions did not adequately consider consumer accessibility and has already lowered the Game Pass Ultimate tier from $29.99 to $22.99 as part of a broader strategy to make Xbox gaming more affordable.
Sources
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