Reporting on an all-hands meeting to celebrate Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond as they exit their respective roles over at Xbox, and to welcome incoming CEO Asha Sharma, Windows Central’s Jez Corden has highlighted what the brand’s new leadership intends to do about the brand’s rapid decline in recent years. It’s a situation largely brought on by the Series X and S failing to take the fight to the PS5 and other rivals with enough success.
Combined with layoffs and a poor response to an increase in Game Pass pricing, things haven’t exactly been going well for the Xbox. However, the console celebrates 25 years of bringing excellent experiences to life, and it seems that it might be ready for a second wind once Sharma takes the helm.
“I have three commitments that I laid out. We will deliver great games. Everything is downstream of great games, that means empowering studios to do our best work. The second thing is the ‘return to Xbox,’ we are going to start with console, 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, seamless, and accessible. And third, we are living through an unprecedented era of change. We will build for the future of play,” she reportedly said during the meeting.
It seems that Xbox already has the games part covered, with some real bangers slated for release later this year and in the near future. As for the hardware that runs them, we might be witnessing the beginnings of a new Xbox that can hold its own against the PS5 and PS5 Pro, while also offering enough value to stand out from the Steam Machine and any imminent handhelds. It would also have to work well with the ROG Xbox Ally andAlly X to enable an ecosystem and make Play Anywhere an offer that’s too good to refuse.
Of course, such a plan will require a lot of coordinated effort considering the brand’s current doldrums, but Sharma reportedly remains optimistic for a future in which the Xbox stands tall once again, encouraging a collaborative effort to make that dream a reality.
“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, the platform, marketing or operations. We will be team Xbox, and we’ll get through this together…We have an amazing line-up coming up, we’re going to have a great GDC, and I think we’re going to have a lot of fun.”
Time will tell if this meeting was the beginning of a new chapter for Microsoft’s gaming powerhouse, but we’re already optimistic about a solid year ahead for the Series X and S. If only Gears of War: E-Day could come any sooner!
