XBOX CEO Asha Sharma is denying rumors that the gaming brand’s parent company, Microsoft, planned to restructure or sell it off.
This past June, a report from The Information alleged Microsoft was considering spinning out its gaming subsidiary or restructuring the brand, both strategies that would help prepare the brand for a possible sale.
But in a new interview with The New York Times reporter Zachary Small, the 38-year-old CEO vehemently says XBOX is not up for grabs.
“Xbox is not for sale,” Sharma told Small in the new interview. “We will do whatever it takes to set the company up for success, and we will look at the right partnerships, the right operating model and everything needed to achieve that.”
“We’ve got a long way to go with Microsoft,” said Sharma, “and we’re going to take the long-term view.”
XBOX’s cost-cutting ‘reset’ spells layoffs, studio closures
XBOX has had a rough year. The company has undergone intense internal restructuring since brand CEO Asha Sharma and CCO Matt Booty announced its increasingly controversial “reset” in July.
Since then, significant strategic changes within the brand have led to shuttered studios, eliminated employees, and canceled long-awaited projects. Just last week, XBOX said it would terminate 268 more roles as part of streamlining and cost-cutting measures.
The cuts largely impacted the first-party game studio behind the classic Halo franchise, as restructuring pushed the IP to Activision from under the XBOX Game Studios umbrella. Age of Empires developer World’s Edge was among other studios affected.
“The goal is to strengthen our franchises and games by operating fewer business units, aligning groups that already work closely together, and focusing our publishing expertise,” CCO Matt Booty wrote in a September 22 memo.
XBOX Game Pass, the brand’s monthly subscription-based digital games library, has also taken a hit. Game Pass subscriber counts have fallen since XBOX first announced last October that it would raise prices across tiers.
XBOX later dropped its subscription prices but announced that “future Call of Duty titles won’t join Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass at launch,” a decision likely informed by fears of software cannibalization. XBOX Game Pass subscriber counts peaked at around 34 million.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella approved of Sharma’s streamlining of the brand, saying it’s “great to see.”
Microsoft and its gaming subsidiary continue to implement job-eliminating artificial intelligence (AI) to supplement its now-significantly reduced workforce.
Follow Outrun Gaming on MSN for more content you love.
RELATED →
- PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for October 2026
- 28 Games Later: A Horror Showcase airing this week
- Nominees revealed for Golden Joystick Awards 2026
