Ty Brandon

[Daniel Camilo @DanielOlimac]

"Let’s reset for a stronger XBOX and build the #1 gaming and entertainment company."

Who's currently #1?

If talking gaming, it's Tencent. But entertainment...Disney?

The point is, the target is not necessarily PlayStation or Nintendo, like many would automatically assume.

Needless to say Microsoft is magnitudes larger than Tencent. And yes, Tencent is not all about gaming (far from it!). Tencent Games is! As Xbox is all about gaming.

Depending on metrics used, Sony PlayStation could be considered #1, but those would be some very specifically-aimed metrics.

Most people will dismiss it as an unrevealing detail, but I think it's very telling and informative that this is the second time the Xbox CEO explicitly mentions China in a public press release. It's particularly telling when both "notes" were addressing the future of the brand and its onward strategy.

While I'm personally of the opinion that Xbox and its executives still don't have a clear specific long-term strategy, and are instead still mostly reacting to the market and A-B testing possible solutions, I do think the larger playing field is clear and well understood.

Whether they (execs and even consumers) act on it or not, the global market and industry are galloping at an unstoppable and inevitable pace. One that is organic in its progress rather than strategized.

The inevitability brought by digital distribution, mass-reaching products and democratized monetization models dictates that niche interests/segments become far removed from the wider conversation, and goals.

Just to point an obvious trend: hardware-dependent distribution is niche, and will only become even more so...

[Zalker87 @Zalker87]

“We won’t succeed by hiding hard truths.”
That might be the most important thing Xbox has said in years.

Asha Sharma is signaling that change is here and business as usual is over.

Interesting times ahead for Xbox. Some studios might not survive this.

[XBOX Canada @XboxCanada]

The XBOX Series X25 Limited Edition console is our love letter to gamers and the games who brought us here. Across generations and genres, whether you're a new fan or you've been here from the start, XBOX stands for play.

Get a closer look here: https://t.co/Lsy61xmXKZ

[Newf Nukem @NewfNukem]

Lots of changes coming at Xbox I believe. I think some studios will lose staff, have budgets cut and their will be a new emphasis on productivity. Let's face it since most studios were acquired by Microsoft they have put out less games.

[bangoMANGO91 @bangoMANGO91]

• Exclusives are coming each year w/ even more if the business gets healthier

• Xbox brand is not dead and mindshare & marketing are forefront

• Helix is not a cancelled thing

• Case by case releases for exclusive & multi plat will remain to support devs

[The Winter Shoulder @ShoulderWinter]

It was the right move.

Obviously Xbox wants to maintain a relationship with Sony due to going multiplatform but Xbox has to keep SOME fuckin dignity & value their IP's.

Phil & Sarah were pulling "abandon ship" moves while the boat continued to sink without seeking recourse.

[Javy (🎮) Asha Sharma's strongest Soldier @FuuTop1]

Whatever cuts xbox are doing next month are a result and the legacy of Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond’s xbox

Also means xbox is gonna refocus and stop funding shit that doesnt move the needle

Good

[XBOX @XBOX]

The XBOX Series X25 Limited Edition console is our love letter to gamers and the games who brought us here. Across generations and genres, whether you're a new fan or you've been here from the start, XBOX stands for play.

Get a closer look here: https://t.co/EBAHv9SudZ

[Joey 🇵🇦 @JohanzelV]

This is wild

[Jon Kefaloukos 🇬🇷 @Falloutt]

If you want to witness a master class in leadership and business, read this article and closely follow this new @XBOX chapter

As a 12 year Xbox/Microsoft alum and lifelong Xbox fan, I’ll admit: I was skeptic #1 of the @asha_shar announce. The games industry is sacred, how could a self-proclaimed non-gamer know the first thing about what Xbox needs

But after closely following her first 100 days and especially after this post, I’m 100% sold

The hard truths that she exposed in this article are not small details, or PR speak

They are deep warts of the Xbox business that have been swept under the rug or minimized for years

There is NO way Xbox or Microsoft of old would’ve exposed those truths with transparency to the public. Asha and Matt Booty did. That alone is a massive shift in culture and approach that speaks volume.

Asha inherited a difficult and incredibly unhealthy business. And in 100 days, she’s shown curiosity, a deep understanding the industry, and a tenacity to turn it around.

And she’s doing it all with extreme transparency to her team and the Xbox community, which both deserve after all these years

I have friends at Xbox who describe her as a visionary, risk-taking, ruthless, and operational leader with deep curiosity. And that’s exactly what Xbox needs

In 100 days:

- She made some tough leadership changes and brought in three new senior / C Level leaders, including @ballmatthew who is exactly what Xbox needed

- She rebranded and refocused XBOX, returned a commitment to console and exclusives

- She recommitted to the Xbox community with a new Player Voice CRM type system

- She turned every stone of the Xbox business and clearly understands its ins and outs

And now she’s hitting the reset button on tooling, platform, content, and more - exactly what’s needed to reset an unhealthy business

This will be the greatest case study in the Gaming industry’s history - only time will tell if she succeeds but boy would I personally bet on it (if I could)

[Javy (🎮) Asha Sharma's strongest Soldier @FuuTop1]

Anybody saying xbox is taking a step back after this news is not a serious person

This might be the first real step in rebuilding xbox and not failing in the same way phil and sarah made them

[CMoney @ OnPoint @CMoney4Ever]

Thanks for sharing with us Asha! It's a great read into the mindset of the next 100 days being a reset. There is a lot here that we don't know exactly what the outcome is going to look like, hoping there are no studio closures or sell offs. On the other end there are intriguing ideas here that I'm excited to see play out. #TEAMXBOX

[Ty Brandon @TyBrandon3]

@FuuTop1 Naw not turn 10 cause they help playgrounds to make forza horizon 6 so they making money over there

[JB @JBishie]

In case there’s any remaining doubt about their direction on exclusivity, Asha Sharma’s own words remove any ambiguity:

"We reintroduced exclusives with Gears of War: E-Day in 2026 and Clockwork Revolution in 2027. Players can continue to expect signature exclusives from us every year."

"As we saw this past weekend at the showcase, a reliable pipeline of first‑ and third‑party exclusives and new IP is critical to our success."

https://t.co/v1MDwcJWmf

[Ty Brandon @TyBrandon3]

@PersonaSpeaks Nobody cares what u got to say on the xbox side you better worry about saros getting bought cause that game not selling

[Dirt Griggity @Griggity]

Nor will we succeed by doing the same thing and expecting different results. This says a lot.

[Post Up @PostUp_SOG]

Sony is mad because MS pulled the Halo trailer. Good, one of the worst decisions Phil made in this one-sided relationship was to give them Xbox games with nothing in return, and Sony continues the way it does business by trying to prevent third-party games from showing up on Xbox.

[Mukul Sharma @stufflistings]

Xbox made their 25th anniversary special translucent retro green design.

The Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition Console and controller...

[El Gamer Informado @AllConsoleFan]

‼️GIRO DRAMATICO‼️

SATYA NADELLA QUIERE JUEGOS EXCLUSIVOS

Nadella hablo y despues de la politica fallida de “Todo es una Xbox” descubre que los juegos exclusivos son esenciales.

«El actual liderazgo de Xbox no ve los juegos exclusivos como un problema fiscal restrictivo que hay que superar. En cambio, los considera una fortaleza, incluso un privilegio». https://t.co/tqKHL81zV1

[KING DAVID👑👑👑 #TGS2025 @kingdavidotw]

From Peaks To Pits: Why Xbox’s Latest Massive Layoff Changes Everything https://t.co/WCs1RSJNn4 via @YouTube