Xbox CEO Says ‘Brutal Reset’ Has Ended the Freefall

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma says the gaming division’s painful restructuring is working. She told staff the business has started growing again.
Speaking at a company town hall, Sharma said Xbox is “making the right decisions to reinvest in the business.” She claimed growth of “more than 2 to 3 times what we were” after hitting an all-time low, according to Windows Central, which reported her remarks.
She pointed to strong starts for Minecraft Dungeons 2, Gears of War: E-Day and World of Warcraft: Forever. She also claimed a 30% rise in brand sentiment from a year ago. She gave no detailed numbers.
The reset has been brutal. Microsoft cut about 1,600 Xbox jobs in July and around 300 more in September, with more planned. It closed or sold studios including Double Fine and Ninja Theory. Development of the next Halo game moved to a team inside Activision.
Sharma also outlined Gen 10 hardware, code-named Project Helix. She said it will be a “family of devices,” with a strong console first and options for players on the go.
Whether the growth lasts will decide if the cuts were worth it.
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