- CEO Asha Sharma and Chief Content Officer Matt Booty have laid out the plan for Xbox's future
- "Microsoft Gaming" is now simply "Xbox"
- The goal is to prioritize "daily active players" and "reevaluate our approach to exclusivity, windowing, and AI"
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 Xbox Wire open letter, the pair started by acknowledging players' frustrations, particularly with new feature drops on console being "less frequent" and how its "presence on PC isn't strong enough."
They also admitted that "pricing is getting harder for people to keep up with", 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.
"At the same time, a new generation of players is coming online with different expectations. Their time is split across games, media, and everything else competing 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 reshapes around us. Console remains large and stable," the statement reads.
"Windows now represents more players and more hours and is increasingly where competition is most intense. Players have access to more games than ever, even as the cost and time to build blockbuster titles continues to rise, putting pressure on what gets made and how risk is taken."
There's mention of big hits from small teams like Roblox, and how players are choosing subscriptions and services as their primary way to play, and expect instant access, value over time, and libraries that continuously evolve.
"Xbox will be where the world plays and creates. We will build a global platform that connects players and creators everywhere. Console is at the foundation, delivering a premium experience, and cloud brings that experience to any device. You can play where 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 to Game Pass Ultimate, and in the open letter, the Xbox leaders 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 will offer flexible pricing so it’s easy to get started and keep playing," they said. "The experience will adapt to you, letting you customize how you play, helping you find what you’ll love, and connecting you with the right people. And we will be open to all creators, from individuals to the largest studios, giving anyone the tools to reach a global audience and keep their games growing over time."
This is where Asha and Booty confirmed that going forward, Xbox's "new north star" is "daily active players" 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" like Minecraft, The Elder Scrolls, and Sea of Thieves, a way to "fortify Game Pass with clear differentiation and sustainable economics", and more.
The CEO and COO also confirmed it will "reevaluate our approach to exclusivity, windowing, and AI", which suggests 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 simply as "Xbox" again.
"To achieve our master plan, the way we work must transform," they said. "Our best work happens when the full stack moves together. 'Microsoft Gaming' describes our structure but it does not describe our ambition. So, we are 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 over perfection
- Signal over ceremony
- Core before more
- Outwork the problem
- Speed is learning
- Makers over managers
- 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 it, and allegedly feature "50+ games like Stardew Valley, Fallout 4, and Grounded," 10 hours of cloud gaming every month, and Xbox Rewards.
