Xbox CEO Asha Sharma reportedly held an internal town hall, telling staff that “after an all time low, we’ve started to return to growth.”
According to Windows Central, Sharma said Xbox is “making the right decisions to reinvest in the business.”
“After an all-time low, we’ve started to return to growth, more than two to three times what we were, and we expect that to continue.”
While Sharma did not specify exact figures, she noted that Xbox has returned to growth in its first-party segment and stabilised user engagement after earlier declines this year.
Recent releases such as Gears of War: E-Day, Minecraft Dungeons 2, and World of Warcraft Forever reportedly had strong launches. Sharma also reiterated her goal to “evolve Game Pass into a more flexible system,” following significant declines in the service under previous leadership.
Elsewhere, Sharma said its next-gen hardware Project Helix will be a family of devices rather than a single console, as “there is not one device that fits all.”
“We will certainly have a great console first, but we also know that many players will be on the go. There are some things that we are the best in the world to manufacture, and there are other things that we will partner on. So, we will be sharing more about that as our plans develop. The operating system is starting to look really good. We’re very excited about this.”
As for this generation, Sharma stated Xbox needs to invest more in console despite the segment’s current stagnant growth. She said the key to strengthening Xbox Series X|S is to continue investing in cloud gaming, its disc-to-digital program, and its Play Anywhere initiative.
Last week, Sharma reiterated that “Xbox is not for sale” after speculation that the company could be spun out as a separate business rather than remaining under Microsoft.
“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,” said Sharma.
This comes as Xbox continues its restructuring initiative, which has resulted in a 20% reduction in the Xbox workforce and the closure or divestiture of several studios.
Xbox also reorganized a handful of its studios, transferring Rare and the Halo franchise to Activision, integrating Obsidian into Bethesda, and merging Turn 10 with Playground Games.