{"id":33770,"date":"2026-10-07T15:13:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T15:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=33770"},"modified":"2026-10-07T15:13:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T15:13:09","slug":"what-xbox-ceo-asha-sharma-told-employees-in-first-townhall-since-hundreds-of-layoffs-at-microsofts-gaming-division","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=33770","title":{"rendered":"What Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told employees in first townhall since hundreds of layoffs at Microsoft&#8217;s gaming division"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134767871,imgsize-22950,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg\" alt=\"What Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told employees in first townhall since hundreds of layoffs at Microsoft's gaming division\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has reportedly addressed company staff in her first company-wide town hall since sweeping summer layoffs hit Microsoft\u2019s gaming division, laying out a comprehensive roadmap to stabilise the brand, committing to traditional console players and preparing for next-generation hardware.<!-- --> Citing a transcript of an internal gathering that followed a turbulent stretch marked by hundreds of job cuts, studio divestments and internal closures, a report by Windows Central says that Sharma acknowledged that Xbox entered 2026 facing severe headwinds, with user engagement hours, active player counts and top-line revenue all sliding downward.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"3\"\/>She pointed out that the division\u2019s prior subscription approach, which previously led to removing Call of Duty from standard tiers alongside major price cuts, pushed Xbox\u2019s balance sheet into what she termed a \u201cfreefall.\u201d Now Sharma has stated that player hours have steadied, while first-party publishing output has bounced back:<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"5\"\/>\u201c<span class=\"em\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Why do we exist? We exist to be where the world plays, we will know when we have a billion daily active people, and we have a right to win because we&#8217;re now focused on our fans and franchises<\/span>,\u201d Sharma reportedly told staff.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/>Highlighting internal metrics, Sharma noted that first-party game (games that Xbox owns and publishes) momentum is up by two to three times over recent historical lows. <span class=\"em\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\u201cWe&#8217;re making the right decisions to reinvest in the business, after an all time low, we&#8217;ve started to return to growth, more than 2 to 3 times what we were, and we expect that continue.\u201d<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>She cited early wins from titles like Gears of War: E-Day, Minecraft Dungeons 2, and World of Warcraft Forever, adding that positive public sentiment around the Xbox brand has climbed by 30% over the past year.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>\u2018Four Cs\u2019 and renewed console commitment<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Sharma framed the division\u2019s operational recovery around four core pillars: Core, Content, Creation and Connection. Despite broader industry data showing flatlining console hardware adoption worldwide, Sharma argued that Xbox cannot justify expanding into wider segments if it fails to take care of its primary base. Xbox must invest more heavily in home consoles, asserting the company lacks \u201cthe right to grow beyond console\u201d if it does not properly support its most dedicated audience.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"22\"\/>Moreover, the team is said to be prioritising current-gen hardware features, including Xbox Cloud Gaming upgrades, an expanding disc-to-digital migration program, and the continued reach of Xbox Play Anywhere. Sharma also signaled that Xbox Game Pass will introduce greater customisation, allowing users to pick and choose specific content packages rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>Looking ahead, Sharma confirmed early architectural details regarding Xbox\u2019s tenth-generation platform, internally codenamed Xbox Helix. Rather than relying on a single piece of living-room silicon, Microsoft is designing a broader suite of hardware options:<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"26\"\/><span class=\"em\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\u201cWe are moving to a family of devices for Gen-10. There is not one device that fits all. We will certainly have a great console first, but we also know that many players will be on the go. There are some things that we are the best in the world to manufacture, and there are other things that we will partner on&#8230; The operating system is starting to look really good. We&#8217;re very excited about this.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/technology\/tech-news\/what-xbox-ceo-asha-sharma-told-employees-in-first-townhall-since-hundreds-of-layoffs-at-microsofts-gaming-division\/articleshow\/134767858.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has reportedly addressed company staff in her first company-wide town hall since sweeping summer layoffs hit Microsoft\u2019s gaming division, laying out a comprehensive roadmap to stabilise the brand, committing to traditional console players and preparing for next-generation hardware. Citing a transcript of an internal gathering that followed a turbulent stretch marked [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has reportedly addressed company staff in her first company-wide town hall since sweeping summer layoffs hit Microsoft\u2019s gaming division, laying out a comprehensive roadmap to stabilise the brand, committing to traditional console players and preparing for next-generation hardware. Citing a transcript of an internal gathering that followed a turbulent stretch marked [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":3,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/asha-sharma-xbox-ceo.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33770"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33770\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}