Xbox “Not for Sale” Says CEO, Promises to Do “Whatever It Takes” to Set Division Up for Success
Back in June, a rumor surfaced that mentioned how Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood had been thinking of spinning off or selling the company’s Xbox division.
That rumor has now been debunked by Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who kick-started a “reset” of the Xbox division in June, which resulted in studio mergers and layoffs this September.
Xbox CEO Looking at Right Operating Model to Achieve Success
In a new interview with The New York Times (paywalled), Sharma flat-out said, “Xbox is not for sale,” contrary to rumors and whatnot. Not only that, but Sharma added, “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,” pointing to the honest realization that bringing back Xbox to its former glory is an uphill climb.
So far, it seems Sharma might be on the right track — at least from the point of view of Xbox fans. She signed up Hideo Kojima and the gaming legend’s espionage spiritual successor to Metal Gear titled “Physint,” which also encompasses films and TV.
There’s also her openness to confirm Xbox’s next-gen console, Project Helix, as a real thing, which is surprising to see given how secretive game company CEOs usually are.
Not only that, but under her stewardship, the next Halo game will now be handled by Activision, something we talked about recently as the right move to push the brand back to relevance.
Does this mean we won’t see the Xbox division be sold off at some point or spun out? Given the gaming division only accounts for 6% of Microsoft’s total profit, I wouldn’t be surprised if this does happen eventually. That said, Sharma isn’t going to let that happen under her watch, and she’s prepared for a slog, stating, “We’ve got a long way to go with Microsoft…and we’re going to take the long-term view.”
So far, Sharma seems to be on the right track, and I’m eager to see what she does next.
