- CEO Asha Sharma and Chief Content Officer Matt Booty have unveiled the plan for the future of Xbox
- “Microsoft Gaming” is now simply “Xbox”
- The goal is to prioritize “daily active players” and “reevaluate 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, including a focus on player engagement and another name change.
In a lengthy open letter to Xbox Wire, the pair began by acknowledging gamers’ frustrations, particularly that new features on the console are “less frequent” and how its “presence on PC is not strong enough.”
They also admitted that “it’s getting harder for people to keep up with pricing,” 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 online with different expectations. Their time is divided between games, media and everything else that competes for attention. They expect more content in familiar places, they want to shape the worlds in which they play and they want to create and socialize together, not just play together. These changes are happening as the industry transforms around us. The console remains large and stable,” the statement reads.
“Windows now accounts for 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 create blockbuster titles continue to increase, putting pressure on what gets done and how risks are taken.”
Great successes of small teams are mentioned such as Robloxand how gamers choose subscriptions and services as their primary way to play, and expect instant access, value over time, and continually evolving libraries.
“Xbox will be the place where the world plays and creates. We will build a global platform that connects players and creators everywhere. The console is the foundation, offering a premium experience and the cloud brings that experience to any device. You can play wherever you want, and your games, progress, friends and identity will stay with you on console, PC, mobile and the cloud.”
The company recently announced a price cut for Game Pass Ultimate, and in the open letter, Xbox leaders suggested that similar changes are coming by offering “flexible” pricing for all players.
“Xbox will be built to be affordable, personal and open. We will offer flexible pricing to make it easy to get started and keep playing,” they said. “The experience will adapt to you, letting you customize the way you play, helping you find what you’ll love, and connecting you with the right people. And we’ll 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 gamers” and they will execute this plan by prioritizing “hardware, content, experience and services.”
Project Helix, the upcoming Xbox console, was mentioned, as well as a robust ecosystem, “creator-focused platforms” like minecraft, The ancient scrollsand sea of thievesa way to “strengthen Game Pass with clear differentiation and sustainable economics,” and more.
The CEO and COO also confirmed that they will “reevaluate our approach to exclusivity, windows and artificial intelligence,” suggesting that the traditional Xbox exclusivity period could return.
With this plan in mind, Sharma and Booty also announced that “Microsoft Gaming” no longer exists and will now once again be known simply as “Xbox.”
“To achieve our master plan, the way we work must be transformed,” they said. “Our best work happens when the entire 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 rebranding our team. We are Xbox.”
The company then offered a list of what it does best, including:
- Every player wins
- Protect our art
- stay rebel
- Progress over perfection
- Sign Completion Ceremony
- Core before more
- Overcome the problem
- Speed is learning
- Creators over managers
- Clarity is goodness.
In other news, Xbox is reportedly planning to roll out a new Game Pass tier that will be included with a Discord Nitro subscription.
Sharma recently teased a new partnership with Discord as part of an effort to “make Game Pass more flexible for our players,” and it is claimed that this new “Starter Edition” of Game Pass will be, reportedly including “over 50 games like Stardew Valley, radioactive dust 4and Grounded“, 10 hours of cloud gaming every month and Xbox Rewards.
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