EvenStephen7

I think we’re reading too much into Sharma’s tweet. “I hear you” isn’t signaling any business motivations; it’s a polite way to acknowledge someone’s frustrations.

Last year, Xbox drove a staggering $23.45B in revenue — a record for them and closely approaching PlayStation-levels of revenue.

They were also the top publisher on PlayStation, effectively driving 10-15% of that revenue on PS5 alone, despite hardware sales crashing by 32% in just Q4 alone (the largest hardware sales quarter historically).

There is simply no putting the toothpaste back in the tube.

Xbox makes money on other hardware, and I think it’s likely that Halo outsells Xbox on PS5.

But more importantly: with how ruthelsss MS has been with cutting studios, bailing out of a Halo port now — after all the work, marketing, etc — would be a massive financial loss and just put Halo Studios on the chopping block next quarter.

I’d rather they stay alive and Xbox stays healthy.

@Balaam_ You're going to catch hell for the "no steam or alternative storefronts," but I'm with you. Honestly, I'm not convinced it's ever been in the cards. I can grab Steam keys for mere dollars from keysites, and even reputable dealers like Humble/Steam/etc offer crazy low prices. Sure, it's good for gamers, but Xbox is going to crater if they offer you the ability to buy titles that run on their hardware for $3, where they don't get a cut of the profits, vs the $10-30 they offer on their storefront. Who would ever buy from the Xbox store again? It'd also mean they can't subsidize the cost of the system ever again, which prices out hardware for most. If they're serious about staying in the game, I don't think this is the answer.

1. Define what Xbox is.
The last few years have shown that Xbox has an identity crisis (it's probably its biggest issue). Are they a console hardware business? A third-party publisher? A subscription service? They can have fingers in all of course, but there's a bit of a "jack of all trades, master of none" going on. They need to help define what the business north star is for the coming years. It's hard for people to invest in your platform if they have no idea what your business model will look like by 2027. Marketing and messaging have been muddy AF. This needs to be fixed, fast.

2. Fix Gamepass's value problem. It's no secret that GPU is becoming less and less enticing. Even Pure Xbox comments and polls show many dropping off, as the price is getting too high. Adding more services like WoW (as rumored) isn't going to help. Additionally, the first-party day-and-date promises never really came to fruition between cancelled titles, closed studios, and new GP tiers blocking day-1 releases. Stop releasing half-finished games, ruthlessly prioritize first-party titles on the platform, and cut the fat to drive down the price again. Get rid of Fortnite, etc. This isn't adding value; it's adding bloat and cost.

3. Hot take: I'd introduce an ad-supported streaming service. Many Xbox fans have turned their backs on the hardware this gen. Many have sold their consoles. MS can work to get these people back, but asking for $1K for a new console — or $30/month for GPU — isn't going to do it. Introduce a free or heavily-discounted streaming service that lets them play limited GP games (I'm talking 10-ish rotated every few months) and potentially stream their library. This will remind fans of their dormant Xbox libraries waiting for them, remind them of the great titles Xbox has, and build goodwill from a brand that has tarnished it a bit. At the very least, MS makes mad ad dollars. They have the architecture. This is actually a pretty easy win from a risk/reward ratio.

4. Start leading your teams. Matt Booty's biggest sin (and thus, Spencer's) was giving studios too long a leash. They didn't want to interfere at all — which is admirable, but we creatives NEED guardrails. Get more involved, for crying out loud. Check in. Don't wait until a project is 7 years later and billions in debt before deciding what to do; everyone would prefer you step in sooner, make hard decisions, and let the teams keep their doors open. Gamers would appreciate it too. Xbox needs great games. The OG Xbox team was super involved with their teams and third-party partners creatively; they just knew when to step back and when to lean in.

5. Xbox third-party isn't going anywhere. They make too much money on PS5, and the expectation has been set. Game Pass isn't enough of a lure for people to buy hardware either, especially with it being available everywhere. But Xbox needs a value prop. Make hardware tiers that are affordable — if the next one is basically a PC, as rumored, the only model can't be north of $1K. Then make timed exclusives again. Give your first-party titles specific features exclusive to your hardware. Make cross-buy a thing again between PC and Xbox. Either commit to making genuinely great hardware that's available for all, or go all in on multiplatform. But you have to pick a lane again. The last 3 years have been exhausting with Xbox straddling options and being unable to pick a direction.

Look, I believe in giving her the benefit of the doubt (even if I admit I'm skeptical).

I also don't fault PureXbox for covering this.

But I'm a little burnt out on Sharma until she says something tangible. All of her statements so far are SO vanilla. And of course they are — it's day 1, and her PR and legal teams have written this with/for her. But there's nothing of substance here; these statements could go a million different ways, and we're all trying to read the tea leaves to hear what we want.

I guess I don't believe in getting the pitchforks out, but also don't think we can breathe a sigh of relief yet either. Her background is questionable, Phil's exit was a surprise, Sarah Bond's is even more mysterious, and Microsoft leadership hasn't shown good judgment from the top in recent years.

Sharma has a lot to prove, and statements that read like a "greatest hits" for brand rehab don't mean much yet; this is exactly the kind of statements I've coached CEOs on giving. Sometimes the ship rights itself. Sometimes it doesn't.

Time will tell. I'm cautious but want to be optimistic.
Either way, this feels like Xbox's most pivotal moment since the early days — one we'll be looking back on years from now.

Uh-oh! Satya has already begged for us to stop calling it “slop!”

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2026/01/microsoft-ceo-really-wants-you-to-stop-calling-generative-ai-slop

Well it was a great run, Sharma. I look forward to next week’s new Xbox CEO announcement.

@IOI Exactly. I was stunned by all the news; but especially stunned that Matt Booty of all people got promoted. I feel like that’s fallen through the cracks with the gravity of Spencer and Bond leaving. Booty should have been given the boot years ago; if he had, maybe Spencer would still be around and the Xbox brand would be doing better.

With so many credible leaks, it’s all but guaranteed now that there’s a new Witcher 3 DLC coming in a few months (supposedly tying into Witcher 4).

Putting the game on Gamepass ahead of that is a smart move.

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but it feels like he's not really teasing anything exciting, especially with BC. Anything's possible, but that sounds like the bog standard avoid-the-question-directly and say "we have exciting things to come" (which could be anything; exciting is in the eye of the beholder).

Two big things I’m surprised to not see mentioned:

1) Wireless controllers becoming the standard. The 360 shipping with a wireless controller was WILD at the time; the previous gen you had to rely on a third-party Logitech controller (which was incredibly solid, but still). Microsoft packing a console with wireless-capable controllers was a monumental deal at the time and changed the game for consoles.

2) Face plates. They were short-lived but they made EVERY console into multiple custom consoles. Early on you even get them as preorder bonuses for games; I held onto my Halo and Gears of War plates for ages. The fact that the new Steam Machine is launching with swappable face plates proves to me that Microsoft was ahead of the game (similar to the Steam Machine, I even had a wood grain one for my 360).

I can see Sony wanting to hang around for a while, considering how successful the PS5 has been. Microsoft, on the other hand, has much more of an incentive to move on.

The question is whether that will force Sony’s hand, and I don’t know if it will (I could see another Xbox rushing to market a year or two before a PS6).

It’s a shockingly overpriced, underwhelming, anti-consumer cash grab. I own the game and DLC and they want to sell me broken mods for $20? Forget it.

Look, I know he rustled some feathers and has overpromised on everything from Fable to Black and White.

But the guy is a legend and I grew up with him being a titan of the industry; his creativity has always been larger than our technology. Reading this broke my heart a little.

I hope he finds his redemption and peace with this title and goes out on a high note.

This ties into the rumors of this thing being very expensive, as Microsoft won't be able to subsidize the cost of the console thanks to the loss of a guaranteed store.

It could be an interesting conflict if the rumored Steam Box/ Steam Machine successor comes out around this time, especially since Valve would be able to subsidize the cost of their device. MS could theoretically see itself pivoting away from a head-to-head with PlayStation only to enter one with Valve (albeit on a smaller scale).

Maybe with this evolution, a third "console wars" is about to kick off.

It’s so they can sell you that half at a later time. Then repeat the process for 2, 3, etc.

Those 30% profit margins for Xbox studios aren’t going to achieve themselves.

This looks so soulless and unnecessary. Like a UE5 asset tech demo.

I'll stick with my Master Chief Collection and keep dreaming of a new game instead.

They’re monitoring your Pure Xbox comment history and rewarding loyalty.

I'm sorry, but I'm still kind of fuming about this.

Microsoft raises the price of consoles (with the 2TB Series X the most expensive on the market) but we all thought they were looking to pivot out of hardware-only anyway.

Now they've done another giant price hike on Gamepass and crossed the threshold of the cost/value analysis for many.

Soo...they're pivoting out of being strictly hardware, but driving fans away from their online services too.

All while canceling games and releasing them elsewhere.

How's this setting Xbox up for any future success?

Not to be alarmist, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them sell off some studios and IP at this point.

Ubisoft games go from "new release" to "steep discount" probably faster than any other publisher. You can wait 1-2 months and get 30-50% off.

All of these games here have frequently been a few bucks each for many, many, many years. Some for over a decade now.

This pads out the number of games on the service but it doesn't raise the value.

Well there's proof that the critics were right: Gamepass was unsustainable. Now it's quickly veering from "the best deal in gaming" to a niche service.

I suspect $30/month is going to be too much for most, and stepping down a tier and losing benefits like day-1 games is going to be bitter for many. No one likes having features taken away.

I think MS has overestimated Gamepass. Services like Netflix or Disney+ get away with it because they have exclusive content.

Gamepass does not.

At this point, unless you're a (very small) minority that also wanted Ubisoft+ and plays Fortnite religiously, the better decision is to hold off for steep sales and/or just pick up the games you want.

@SodaPop6548 It’s all good.

@SodaPop6548 To be fair, Satya Nadella and Microsoft as a company have donated a lot of money to Trump too.

I get the appeal but I’d honestly rather stick with my Steamdeck. I’ll be setting aside cash for the Steamdeck 2 in the meantime.

@cburg I think the comparison is that Steamdecks come with (very nice) cases. But Valve is also pretty pro-consumer.

In the US, they’ve spent the last two weeks giving away a digital Superman film for every 2,500 points — redeemable on Movies Anywhere so it goes into all of your connected accounts. You get to pick which one you want to keep, and it’s been a fantastic deal (everything from the 1970s-80s classics to League of Super Pets, seasons of Peacemaker, and the Super/Man doc about Chris Reeves). You can snatch up several of them for not that many points.

They also have a punch card that gets you the new James Gunn film for $9.99.

Worth checking out, especially for US audiences (not sure if other markets have the offer).

I admit I wasn’t following the previews too closely, but I am VERY surprised by this reaction. Despite enjoying 1 and 2 a lot I kind of fell out of the series; I might have to look into this now.

@themightyant I had the same thought (along with a chuckle and an eye-roll). Feels like the 90s are back.

@fiendish-beaver Resident Evil Revelations was the one entirely set on a boat, though Cold Fear did it first — six years earlier. I remember it being a really novel concept at the time.

@johndoe89 it’s funny you mention movies, both games always reminded me of 90s horror-sci-fi gem, Deep Rising.

@Kaloudz I think you’re 100% on the money here (on all points made, honestly). But the preorders and pre-release market analysis must have signaled this isn’t going to be a big mover so they cut the price.

No doubt they’re going to revisit this pricing again in the near future, just with a game that they know people “must have.” Once they do that, they condition most consumers into seeing $80 as a “normal” price and can charge it consistently on AAA releases.

I’ve been using Movies Anywhere for years. While it’s a shame that a few studios like Lionsgate remain holdouts (and at this point everyone has stopped expecting them to pay the fee to join), it has been a surprisingly great pro-consumer service that was ahead of its time unifying multiple digital lockers like AppleTV, Xbox, Amazon, VUDU/FandangoNow, etc.

Not to be a turd in the punchbowl, because confirming your purchases this gen will carry into next IS important, but man, some of my favorite games were from the OG Xbox and 360 gen. I really wish backwards compatibility could expand on these fronts, though I realize they probably won't. But a guy can dream.

I think the beauty of Horizon is you can basically bake in any spin-off features. Want boat racing? Add it to Horizon. Want to fly planes? Add sky races. Stock car racing? Go for it. So on and so on. Anything that’s racing related can be folded in. But I do think FH6 needs to do something to shake things up.

Not surprised. Like fighting game fans, JRPG fans usually flock to Sony. That’s not to say they don’t have an Xbox as well, or that Xbox doesn’t have great JRPGs (or fighters). But if you’re a big Final Fantasy fan, you’ve likely had access to it on PS5 or even PC before now.

I’d imagine the audience of big FF fans that only have an Xbox is incredibly slim.

@Kaloudz quote here: https://www.gameinformer.com/xbox-games-showcase/2025/06/08/phil-spencer-teases-forza-halo-remake-fable-gears-of-war-e-day-for?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKyvmFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHtoNrzra1Y4fCuYtd69Hwv1PjKA9bwOQWxcUp30srT7O94AIzgg2YS-iLsdV_aem_nMRRTFhxUc4PRYOTsmM8ww

Gotta agree with the others, a bit underwhelming for me personally. If you’re an Xbox-only player I can see why the FF news was exciting, though most people have the means to play them elsewhere (and most FF/JRPG fans surely have a PS5).

This isn’t me saying it’s bad, just there wasn’t anything here that blew my socks off.

@CaptainCluck This is actually very accurate to the character. The books describe Bond as having a thin scar down his right cheek.

Obviously whether someone likes is subjective, but I was thrilled to see a little touch that makes it more faithful than the films.

@HarmanSmith Yea, I'd definitely wait to buy it on Xbox.

I was kicking myself for buying it for my Series X, but luckily I also didn't get too far before I learned about the problem. I'm speaking vaguely to avoid spoilers but I can't imagine playing the entire game and getting to the very last moment....and not being able to do something as simple as a QTE to beat it.

@SaltySpitoon957 Agreed!

@Ricky-Spanish Even worse, Xbox’s FPS Boost broke the final QTE of the game; it’s next to impossible to finish the game now. There are years worth of posts talking about it and people trying tricks to get around it/begging MS to turn it off but there hasn’t been an update. Me, I just stopped trying with the backwards compat version and rebought the game for like $5 on Steamdeck where you can turn FPS up and down. Served as a reminder why boosting FPS for older games isn’t as easy as flipping a switch though, and can break a lot of things

$400 range for a Series S is rough. That's a 30% increase. I guess in comparison to the SX it's still cheaper but now we're roughly at the same price as a much more powerful PS5. It also undercuts the Series S' value prop for a "foot in the door" console that's supposed to be a lighter investment.

Leisure activities like gaming are going to be harder and harder to justify when groceries/clothes/necessities continue to climb, and that's before you start raising prices. If Xbox sales were looking rough before, we ain't seen nothing yet. And $80 per game is a lot to ask when we're still waiting on many of this gen's big exclusives to arrive.

If I didn't have this generation's Xbox at the halfway point (or later) in its lifecycle, I'd probably look around at the current economic situation, the time left on this generation, and figure I'd just save up and wait for what's next.

@HonestHick Absolutely on the money. Anyone having sticker shock at a PS5 Pro are going to be in for a very rude awakening for the next Xbox/Playstation.

@Kaloudz I’m a terminal optimist haha. That’s a great point about RE6 too — now you have me wanting that!

@Kaloudz While I strongly (but respectfully) disagree, wouldn’t that make 3 the best candidate for a remake? A chance to update and improve?

Good option for those of us who emulate all the old Xbox and 360 games that MS won’t/can’t bring to backwards compatibility.

@Bigmanfan “The Xbox brand is spreading rapidly, infecting every screen in your house!”

“Don't forget that Gears of War: E-Day is probably around a year out from release as well, so timing its launch with a Netflix series could work out extremely well…”

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but there’s no way a Netflix show that hasn’t been greenlit yet would be ready be ready in time.

@LostInBlue0 I appreciate that — I was a little nervous to share my experience. And I totally get why you're holding onto your Xbox too. My digital library was very small (and mostly backwards compat titles) so that was definitely a factor; I'd probably not have left if I had a huge library built up.

I guess this is a great example of what Xbox is aiming for. We have different platforms, and different use cases in our gaming habits, but we're both still enjoying Xbox games.

@Isolte I think Microsoft is going to follow their Windows model.
Sure, they're more than happy to sell you a PC or a tablet. But what matters most to them? That you're using Windows and in their ecosystem.

I think similarly Xbox is going to make hardware, but their games will be everywhere. They don't care where you play, they just want you playing Xbox games. The Xbox hardware is just going to be there for people who want to buy a Microsoft device or get into the ecosystem in the easiest way possible.

Console warriors getting mad that other people get to play their "exclusives" is ridiculous. This goes the same for Sony fanboys that are mad when seemingly PS exclusives get ported over too.

But I do think there's a legitimate grievance for those of us who bought all 3 consoles. I got back into the Xbox fold, thinking that between my Series X, PS5, and Switch, I'd have exclusives on all three that'd keep me busy. Kind of like how it's always been.

I'll be honest: I saw this coming, which is why a few months ago I sold my Series X and picked up a Steamdeck. I figured between that and my PS5, I won't miss anything. I still like Xbox, I still like Xbox games, but I didn't need one more plastic box when it's not doing anything really unique. So in that sense, it was a bummer that I spent money getting into an ecosystem that eventually felt redundant as a multi-console user.

Gran Turismo and Forza on the same platform is going to be wild.

Forza was one of Xbox's three big pillars. While it's not surprising that it's being ported, this feels like a watershed moment for Xbox's cross-platform plans.

The only game I cared about today was Doom, and that’s a bit of a known quantity. So for me? C.

But thinking objectively and for people who are into the games, it’s probably a B. I’d be happy if I was a Ninja Gaiden fan.

@AverageGamer they aren’t obligated to offer it for any game, and plenty of smaller games pre-program are on there. You just said to someone “what Xbox game studio release isn’t play anywhere” without these qualifiers and I listed a few.

I found it pretty surprising that an online Halo collection, especially one that MS spent years updating until recently, wasn’t on there.