Microsoft Gaming boss Ashsa Sharma and Xbox content boss Matt Booty have shared an open letter with the world about what they see as the future of Xbox. The topline takeaways are that “Microsoft Gaming” will now simply be known as “Xbox”, thank god, that console is still at the heart of operation, thank god, but also that there’s significant reshaping to be done. As the letter says: “The model that got us here won’t be the one that takes us forward.”
The letter first lays out that “players are frustrated” because new feature-drops on console have been “less frequent” and “our presence on PC isn’t strong enough”. Pricing is also “harder for people to keep up with” and things like search and discovery and social and personalisation “still feel too fragmented”, whatever that means. There’s also a big nod to the newer generation of game-players and the influence of game-creation platforms like Roblox. These things are important because it leads to what Microsoft is planning to do next.
“Xbox will be where the world plays and creates,” the letter states. “We will build a global platform that connects players and creators everywhere,” it adds, possibly overlooking the fact that Xbox struggles in Europe and has always had a torrid time in Japan. “Console is at the foundation, delivering a premium experience, and cloud brings that experience to any device. You can play where you want, and your games, progress, friends, and identity stay with you across console, PC, mobile, and cloud.”
Perhaps most importantly, given the unprecedented rise of gaming hardware costs this generation, the open letter states: “Xbox will be built to be affordable, personal, and open. We will offer flexible pricing so it’s easy to get started and keep playing.” Microsoft offered a phone-like, contracted, monthly pricing deal for the Xbox Series consoles when they launched, via Xbox All Access, which had you pay off the price of the new console over 24 months, while also giving you access to Game Pass. The initiative was discontinued but the mention of “flexible pricing” could refer to something like this.
Sharma and Booty, referenced as ‘Matt and Asha’ in the letter, possibly in an attempt to make them seem like our friends, said Xbox’s new “north star” will be daily active players, which is a metric mobile games use a lot. To achieve this there are four priorities: hardware, content, experience and services. The language gets quite hollow and corpo-talky from here – they say a lot while also saying very little – but there are some clues to be gleaned.
Microsoft wants to “elevate creator-centric platforms like Minecraft, The Elder Scrolls, and Sea of Thieves“, the letter states, which suggests we’re going to see a big push for user-created content in these games. Games like Skyrim are famous for mods of course, but there’s always been a curated limit on what’s been available on console, because of more guarded certification there. Perhaps we’re going to see a lift of this?
There’s a plan to “fortify” Game Pass with “clear differentiation and sustainable economics”, which could mean new tiers of subscription. We have already seen a fairly significant price cut to the upper tier, Game Pass Ultimate. Microsoft also mentions an “overhaul” to discovery, customisation, social and personalisation, suggesting a significant user interface redo is on the way.
“We have to be honest about where we are,” the letter continues. “We’re a challenger, and meeting this moment will require pace, energy, and a level of self-critique that should feel uncomfortable.” I haven’t heard Microsoft refer to itself as a challenger brand since the days of Peter Moore and Xbox 360, something I spoke to Moore about last year.
Microsoft then laid out a list of things it does when it’s at its best. They are:
- Earn every player
- Protect our art
- Stay rebellious
- Progress over perfection
- Signal over ceremony
- Core before more
- Outwork the problem
- Speed is learning
- Makers over managers
- Clarity is kindness
“Protect our art” is interesting. Is that in relation to AI? Is that in relation to the White House using Halo memes to promote its causes?
Regardless, the letter concludes: “Over the last five years, Xbox and the industry have been through an unimaginable amount of change, and this team has continued to deliver through it for our community. Thank you for staying focused on what matters. 62 days in, we’re proud of how we’ve honored our commitments of great games, return of Xbox, and future of play. We’re here to do the most creative and courageous work of our lives, and that’s what we’ll do together.”
It is reassuring to see Xbox at least pledging to make big moves, and to hear it said in such a way it sounds like it’s up for a fight. It had seemed, in more recent years, as though Xbox had conceded victory to PlayStation and settled for second place. Whether or not action will meet intention, we’ll have to wait and see, but it’s an unexpectedly bright start to Asha Sharma’s tenure as head of Xbox. Sharma took over when Phil Spencer retired earlier this year.
