Of course, these are still just words – they will need to be backed up by actions, so it is too early to pass judgment.

Asha Sharma, the former CEO of Microsoft‘s CoreAI division, rejoined Microsoft in 2024 and has now taken the helm at Xbox. In her first message to players, Sharma outlined how she wants to drive a return for Xbox, and in a new interview with Windows Central she reiterated that commitment while attempting to clarify what it actually means. She also dropped another hint about when we might hear about new Xbox hardware – for now, that amounts to saying we will learn more about the company’s hardware plans soon.

Sharma says she understands that people have invested thousands of dollars and 25 years into the Xbox platform. She wants everyone to know she is committed to Xbox, and that, for her, it starts with consoles and hardware. She adds that as the world continues to evolve, Xbox will remain alongside players and will invest in reducing the artificial divide between different device types. In her view, Xbox begins with its fans.

She also addressed whether more exclusives will land on Xbox, and it appears that, at least in the short term, nothing is changing in Xbox‘s plan to make its games available across platforms, even if some remain Xbox-exclusive for a limited time. Sharma says she will use her experience and the leadership around her to grow the business and ensure the next 25 years are “incredibly successful.”

“For me, the spirit of Return to Xbox is about getting back to the values that the team was founded on. It’s the spirit of surprise and of building something that nobody else was willing to try – I’ve heard renegade and rebellion used to describe it, as well as fun. That’s what I was thinking about when I wrote that. I am committed to bringing Xbox back, and that starts with the console and the hardware. You will hear more about that soon – we have some announcements coming up. You will see us collectively investing here. We also know that many players don’t use consoles or our hardware. I want to deliver great games to them, too.

I need time to learn what that could look like, what decisions were made, and what we need to do going forward, and for that I need a bit of time and space. I will listen, learn, and communicate what we’re seeing and doing. From here, I think the work is proof over promise. Matt Booty and I are in this – every day, every hour, every night – I’m fully committed to this. This team has done it before, and I’m here to help us do it again.” Sharma said.

Matt Booty, the new chief content officer, said the studio system is built entirely around first-party development. They do not want to operate only as a publisher. They are committed to operating as a first-party game publisher in close collaboration with their platform team. We will see how this shapes up once Sharma has had time in the role.

Source: WCCFTech, Windows Central