Ghost

Politics have no relation to morals. #GhostKill

[Ghost @GhostRises]

Politics have no relation to morals..

-Machiavelli

[Ghost @GhostRises]

Let me change that headline for you:

President Trump's hand-picked Fed Chair Kevin Warsh announces rates will remain unchanged.

Powell leaves. Warsh arrives. The machine keeps humming. 🤡🌎

[Breaking911 @Breaking911]

Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh: "The Committee decided to maintain the target range for the Fed Funds Rate at 3.5 to 3.75% in support of the Fed's dual mandate."

[Ghost @GhostRises]

Two exclusives will make an ecosystem sticky?

A sticky ecosystem is something people don't want to leave because they're deeply invested in it.

It's just odd that Xbox spent years destroying the very argument they're now trying to make.

[Jacob Navok @JNavok]

Xbox's strategy has been remarkably consistent and correct since late May, which is how long it has taken for the new CEO to get her bearings and get the right advice.

This strategy shows a clear understanding of how Xbox needs to move going forward and can be defined as three simple points:

1.⁠ ⁠Resolve the problems with hardware (this is opaque to us now and will take time)
2.⁠ ⁠Ensure the ecosystem is sticky (Hence exclusives)
3.⁠ ⁠Cut losses, improve unit economics in Game Pass and invest into titles customers want

The question Xbox needs to ask is "What is the best ROI to grow the install base of Xbox as a platform?"

Given the 3% number it is fairly clear it was going horribly for a long time prior. Staying the course was not an option given Microsoft's tech margin is much higher, meaning a dollar put into Xbox versus AI was a bad investment, and Satya was not going to let that slide for longer.

[Grummz @Grummz]

Jason Schrier confirms XBOX bloodbath.

Says no studios have officially received closure notices yet. Everyone is negotiating.

Say it's going to be "Pretty Brutal"

[George Broussard @georgebsocial]

Getting word that layoffs at Zenimax has begun. Heard rumblings recently that the cuts may be much deeper than you expect. Buckle up!

[Ghost @GhostRises]

The trust is gone.

[CharlieIntel @charlieINTEL]

Xbox revealed Ninja Theory’s ‘Senua’ title at their showcase in hopes that investors would be interested in purchasing the studio before they shut it down

(via Game File / @stephentotilo)

[Kieran @KTiereny]

Absolutely spot on this. They are nuts for thinking gears is gonna save that brand

[Ghost @GhostRises]

Trust is easier to lose than it is to regain.

[𝑨𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑶𝒏𝒆 @AshenOne_VI]

Asha Sharma and Matt Booty say they want players to trust Xbox again and invest in the platform’s future.

Then Xbox puts Senua in front of millions of viewers at its biggest event of the year, and days later reports emerge that Ninja Theory could be shut down. 🤦🏻‍♂️

If those reports are true, they’ve already created the exact problem they’re supposed to be fixing.

Uncertainty about the hardware strategy. Uncertainty about exclusives. Uncertainty about which studios are actually safe. Uncertainty about what Xbox will even look like five years from now.

Trust isn’t rebuilt through interviews or promises. It’s rebuilt through actions that give players confidence in the platform’s direction.

And if one of the first major decisions under Asha Sharma and Matt Booty’s leadership is to showcase a game while the future of the studio behind it is reportedly in question, then they’ve already given players another reason to doubt instead of believe.

The irony is that they’re asking people to invest in Xbox’s future while making that future feel more uncertain than ever. If this is the start of Xbox’s new era, they’ve already managed to damage its credibility before it even began.

[Ghost @GhostRises]

It doesn't matter if the exclusives are real. The trust isn't. Xbox spent years teaching customers they didn't need an Xbox. Two exclusives won't undo that.

Xbox's biggest challenge isn't making exclusives. It's convincing people to believe in them again. 🤡🌎

[Matthew Ball @ballmatthew]

@JezCorden These rumors are false. Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will stay exclusive. There are no conversations and have been no conversations to "reverse course." And as we said last week, players can continue to expect signature exclusives from us every year.

[Ghost @GhostRises]

Xbox layoffs are news. Everyone is doomed' is speculation.

The article starts out with evidence and ends with vibes.

[Wccftech @wccftech]

Xbox layoffs just the beginning of a publisher-wide catastrophe; Arkane, Bethesda, id, BioWare, and PlayStation Studios are also at risk. https://t.co/9IwQX286J9

[Ghost @GhostRises]

@U_N_I_F_I_E_D @XBOX @asha_shar @ballmatthew @NinjaTheory Trust is easier to lose than it is to regain.

The irony is that Xbox's biggest challenge may not be selling Game Pass.
It may be convincing people that the ecosystem people are buying into today will be the ecosystem that exists five years from now.

[Ghost @GhostRises]

Microsoft spent years asking how much it could invest. Now investors are asking how much it spent. 🤡🌎

https://t.co/wBp7zzqWhx

[Colin Moriarty @longislandviper]

Owning a constellation of smaller devs only makes sense for Xbox if GamePass is viable and growing, which it isn’t. Otherwise, a renewed approach to AAA (and hoping they can retrain their audience to buy games) is really their only hope as a first party.

Wishing all the best!

[Ghost @GhostRises]

The irony is that people thought the AI lady was actually going to get Xbox back to being Xbox.

[Jessica Cogswell 🌸 @jessicogss]

It’s clearer than ever that Asha’s first 100 days being centered around putting “fans first,” invoking nostalgia, and building loyalty towards Xbox as a brand was deliberate and deceitful. What a move, pandering and aligning themselves with the most fanatical before pulling this!

[Ghost @GhostRises]

The biggest Xbox exclusive in 2026 might be uncertainty.

Chief of Staff leaves. Studio head leaves. Studios seek spin offs. But don't worry, it's all very energizing and instills trust in the @XBOX brand.
🤡🌎

Is this what getting back to Xbox is supposed to look like?

[Klobrille @klobrille]

They announced their next game at an Xbox 25th Anniversary celebration one week ago.

What the fuck are we doing here

[Ghost @GhostRises]

A week ago the biggest Xbox debate was— Should Gears be exclusive?

Now the biggest debate is:
Which studios still exist next year?

Geez.

[Tom Warren @tomwarren]

Xbox is closing down Hellblade creator Ninja Theory. Compulsion Games and Double Fine are also in “active negotiations” about spinning off https://t.co/2tvywBVnF0

[Ghost @GhostRises]

The acquisition phase is over.
The rationalization phase has begun.

What's telling is that these studios think their odds of survival may be better outside the organization than inside it.

[Wario64 @Wario64]

Bloomberg: Several Xbox Studios, including Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory, and Double Fine, are in active negotiations with Xbox to spin off as they try to avoid closure https://t.co/qchx3ENYlY

[Ghost @GhostRises]

Wow. Announce Senua on Sunday. Close Ninja Theory on Monday. What a strategy. 🤡🌎

You really can’t despise Microsoft enough at this point.

[The Verge @verge]

Xbox is closing down Hellblade creator Ninja Theory https://t.co/VVU9YvtFVq

[Ghost @GhostRises]

If fewer people can afford the hardware...how exactly does exclusivity solve that?

[Gizmodo @Gizmodo]

Xbox CEO Is Preparing Gamers for When Hardware Is a Luxury https://t.co/ICfR09KpBL

[Chris Avellone @ChrisAvellone]

Apparently, MS studios who had been told in the past that layoffs wouldn’t affect them are getting a different message now after the recent announcements – formerly “safe” studios now are telling employees they aren't sure how the management changes will impact the studio. Lot of uncertainty, even with studios who have had steady releases under MS.

Not sure if/when layoffs are coming, but if you think you might be affected, let me know here or on DMs and I’ll signal blast any resumes or job offers I can. <3

[Ghost @GhostRises]

The only thing Sega could realistically buy from Xbox is a licensing agreement. Just saying...

[UNIFIED @U_N_I_F_I_E_D]

Well you already know. @SEGA knows the game. They have some IP and along with @XBOX IP, it would put them in an unprecedented place in the industry. If @asha_shar sold to anyone else, then the business is fucked. It's also potentially fucked on its own too. @satyanadella