Asha Sharma believes Xbox can return to its winning ways by refocusing on its core gaming principles. That has been a top priority for Sharma since taking over as chief executive of Xbox in February, an appointment that surprised some industry insiders because of her non-gaming background and previous role leading AI initiatives for the 51-year-old tech giant.
Since stepping into the job, Sharma has preached a “return of Xbox,” a theme she emphasized Tuesday at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, Colorado. Her strategy includes preserving flagship franchises like Halo and ensuring the platform remains accessible. That philosophy, she said, drove her recent decision to lower Game Pass prices, marking one of her most notable moves to date.
“One of our operating principles is that we earn every single player,” she said. “So, we’ve shipped more in the last few months on our platform than we have in the last year. We’ve been able to see a return to growth on Game Pass.”
Sharma succeeded Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s longtime executive vice president of gaming, who retired from the company after 38 years. Spencer built the division up as a videogames powerhouse but then saw it cede ground in recent years. The results have been disappointing. Quarterly gaming revenue has slid, and Xbox’s hardware revenue has endured 30%-plus declines.
