- CEO Asha Sharma and Chief Content Officer Matt Booty have laid out the plan for Xbox’s future
- “Microsoft Gaming” is now just “Xbox”
- The goal is to prioritize “daily active players” and “rethink our approach to exclusivity, windows and artificial intelligence”
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty have shared a detailed plan for the company’s future, which includes a focus on player engagement and another name change.
In a lengthy open letter from Xbox Wire, the pair began by acknowledging players’ frustrations, particularly as new features on the console are “less frequent” and how their “presence on PC is not strong enough.”
They also admitted that “pricing is getting harder for people to follow,” core experiences like search, discovery, social and personalization “still feel too fragmented,” and developers and publishers are asking for better tools and a platform to grow faster.
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“At the same time, a new generation of gamers is coming online with different expectations. Their time is divided across games, media and everything else that competes for attention. They expect more content in familiar places, want to shape the worlds they play in, and want to create and socialize together, not just play together. These changes are happening as the industry is reshaping around us. The console remains big and stable.”
“Windows now represents more players and more hours and is increasingly where the competition is most intense. Players have access to more games than ever before, even as the cost and time to build blockbuster titles continues to rise, putting pressure on what gets made and how risks are taken.”
There are mentions of big hits from small teams like Robloxand how players choose subscriptions and services as their primary way to play and expect instant access, value over time and libraries that are constantly evolving.
“Xbox will be where the world plays and creates. We will build a global platform that connects gamers and creators everywhere. The console is the foundation and delivers a premium experience, and the cloud brings that experience to every device. You can play wherever you want, and your games, progress, friends and identity stay with you across console, PC, mobile and cloud.”
The company recently announced a price cut for Game Pass Ultimate, and in the open letter, Xbox executives suggested similar changes are on the way by offering “flexible” pricing for all players.
“Xbox will be built to be affordable, personal and open. We’ll offer flexible pricing so it’s easy to get started and keep playing,” they said. “The experience will adapt to you, so you can customize how you play, help you find what you want to love, and connect you with the right people. And we’ll be open to all creators, from individuals to the biggest studios, giving everyone the tools to reach a global audience and keep their games growing over time.”
This is where Asha and Booty confirmed that Xbox’s “new north star” going forward are “daily active gamers” and will execute this plan by prioritizing “hardware, content, experience and services.”
Project Helix, the next Xbox console, was mentioned, as well as a strong ecosystem, “creator-centric platforms” such as Minecraft, The older ones rolland Sea of Thievesa way to “fortify Game Pass with clear differentiation and sustainable economics” and more.
The CEO and COO also confirmed that they will “re-evaluate our approach to exclusivity, windowing and artificial intelligence”, suggesting that the traditional Xbox exclusivity period could make a return.
With this plan in mind, Sharma and Booty also announced that “Microsoft Gaming” is no more and will now be known as “Xbox” again.
“To achieve our master plan, the way we work must change,” they said. “Our best work happens when the whole stack moves together. ‘Microsoft Gaming’ describes our structure, but it doesn’t describe our ambition. So we’re going back to where we started and changing our team’s name. We are Xbox.”
The company then offered a list of what it does best, including:
- Earn every player
- Protect our art
- Stay rebellious
- Progress rather than perfection
- Signal over ceremony
- Core before more
- Overcome the problem
- Speed is learning
- Creators rather than leaders
- Clarity is kindness
In other news, Xbox is reportedly planning to roll out a new Game Pass tier that will be bundled with a Discord Nitro subscription.
Sharma recently teased a new Discord partnership as part of an effort to “make Game Pass more flexible for our players,” and it’s claimed that this new Game Pass “Starter Edition” will be, reportedly featuring “50+ games such as Stardew Valley, Fallout 4and Grounded,” 10 hours of cloud gaming every month and Xbox Rewards.
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