Xbox Boss Delivers Mission Statement, Prioritizing Hardware, Content, Experience, and Services

Today, Microsoft shared a message sent by the new Gaming CEO, Asha Sharma, to the entire Xbox staff globally, pretty much defining a mission statement for the brand.

In her message, Sharma admitted that players are frustrated and explained her view on the current situation, touching on both consoles and PC.

She also mentioned that the model that people can expect changes for the future.

“Players are frustrated.

New feature drops on console have been less frequent. Our presence on PC isn’t strong enough. Pricing is getting harder for people to keep up with. And core experiences like search, discovery, social, and personalization still feel too fragmented. Developers and publishers are asking for more, too: better tools, better insights, and a platform that helps them 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. 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. Some of the biggest recent hits are coming from small teams or even single creators, and places like Roblox are producing experiences that rival major franchises in scale. More players are also choosing subscriptions and services as their primary way to play, with expectations set around instant access, ongoing value, and libraries that evolve continuously.

The industry is becoming global and competitive. More than half of the market’s revenue, players, and growth are happening outside of our core markets. But the rest of the world is not just a large market. Developers there are increasingly competing with the most established Western studios, combining scale, speed, and a willingness to reinvent genres many once considered mature.

The model that got us here won’t be the one that takes us forward.”

Sharma continued by reiterating that consoles will be the foundation of Xbox going forward, but players will be able to play where they want across console, PC, mobile, and cloud.

Xbox will be “affordable, personal, and open” with flexible pricing so that players will be able to get started easily. It will also be open to “all creators, from individuals to the largest studios.”

The guiding metric for the brand will be daily active players, and the guiding priorities will be “hardware, content, experience, and services” as follows.

Hardware

Stabilize Gen9 as a healthy and high-quality base
Deliver Project Helix to lead in performance and play your console and PC games
Lead in comfortable, personal, high-performance accessories
Build a strong ecosystem that expands choice and reach

Content

Grow and extend an enduring portfolio of franchises players love
Evolve our 3P partnerships and strengthen our 5-year slate
Expand into China, emerging markets, and mobile-first audiences

Maintain and grow in live games and long-term stewardship
Elevate creator-centric platforms like Minecraft, The Elder Scrolls, and Sea of Thieves

Experience

Fix the fundamentals for players and partners
Make Xbox the best place for developers and creators to build and grow
Overhaul discovery, customization, social and personalization to connect the community

Services

Fortify Game Pass with clear differentiation and sustainable economics
Return the business to durable growth with strong cost discipline
Make cloud play feel native, fast, and reliable across TVs and low-cost devices
Use M&A deliberately to accelerate growth where organic paths are too slow

Sharma did not make promises about exclusivity, windowing, and AI, but she mentioned that the approach to these will be evaluated going forward, and more will be shared as the team learns and makes decisions.

She also admitted that at the moment, Xbox is in a challenger position, and going forward will require “pace, energy, and a level of self-critique that should feel uncomfortable.”

She also laid down a few further principles, which you can find below.