Microsoft’s new gaming leadership promises upcoming hardware announcements to prove its commitment to Xbox consoles, directly addressing concerns that the brand might fade in favor of AI initiatives.
Asha Sharma, who took over as Microsoft Gaming CEO earlier this month after two years leading the company’s CoreAI Product group, told Windows Central she’s “committed to ‘returning to Xbox,’ and that starts with console, that starts with hardware.” She added that gamers will “hear more about that soon, we’ll have some announcements coming up.”
The statement comes amid industry skepticism about Microsoft’s gaming direction following last week’s departure of longtime Xbox leaders Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond. Original Xbox architect Seamus Blackley warned in a recent interview that the brand may be gradually phased out as Microsoft prioritizes artificial intelligence-driven initiatives over traditional gaming.
Sharma and new Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty attempted to calm those fears in their first joint interview, emphasizing there is “no pressure from Microsoft” for developers to use AI. “There are no directives on AI coming down,” Booty said, while Sharma promised she would “not flood our ecosystem with slop.”
Booty noted that while game developers typically experiment with new technology, Xbox’s goal for AI will be for it to function in a complementary role rather than replace creative work. “We need to draw lines on what we won’t do,” he said.
The leadership transition follows Spencer and Bond's departure which was announced last Friday (February 20). Spencer, who will fully retire in October 2026, and Bond will both remain as advisors during the handover period.
Since Sharma’s appointment, gamers and industry observers have questioned her credibility as a leader familiar with console gaming traditions rather than corporate AI strategies.
Sharma acknowledged she needs time to learn the existing Xbox strategy before making major changes. “Right now, I need to learn, candidly,” she told Windows Central. “About the ‘why’ of these decisions, what we were optimising for.”
Her commitment matches Microsoft’s cross-device “This is an Xbox” campaign introduced by former Xbox president Sarah Bond earlier this year, which aimed to expand the brand beyond consoles while maintaining hardware as a core component.
Booty reinforced that Xbox remains committed to being a first-party games publisher working closely with its platform team rather than just acting as a publisher for other platforms. “We’re committed to being a first-party games publisher in partnership with our first-party platform team,” he said.
Microsoft has not specified timing for its promised hardware announcements, but Sharma indicated they would arrive soon as part of her effort to demonstrate renewed focus on console gaming.
