Asha Sharma, CEO of Xbox, released an internal memo to employees outlining the company's future objectives. Among the proposed goals is the ambition to reach 500 million daily players by 2030, starting from the current base of 100 million users.
Asha Sharma, CEO of Xbox, released an internal memo to employees outlining the company's future objectives. Among the proposed goals is the ambition to reach 500 million daily players by 2030, starting from the current base of 100 million users.
The company's strategy involves strengthening Xbox consoles, expanding its franchises globally, and reinforcing Minecraft as a creator-dedicated platform, with projected growth until the end of the 2027 fiscal year. This move aims to intensify rivalry against PlayStation by consolidating exclusive titles and improving consoles, following a period focused on cloud gaming services and cross-platform play.
The memo was sent by Sharma on Thursday, July 30, serving to reassure internal teams after a cycle of mass layoffs that occurred at the beginning of the month. The document, accessed via The Verge website, also mentioned that 3,200 layoffs were announced in early July, affecting Microsoft's games division, including studios like Bethesda and Activision Blizzard, and removing names such as Compulsion Games and Ninja Theory from the group.
Xbox management, as inferred from the memo, seeks to resume direct confrontation with PlayStation, its main competitor in the video game sector. While the company's previous approach prioritized cloud gaming and multi-screen compatibility, the new focus is on bolstering proprietary consoles and exclusive titles.
Historically, Sony has dominated this market, recording almost three times more total PS5 sales compared to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Additionally, PlayStation invests heavily in its exclusive catalog, while Microsoft opted to distribute its franchises across multiple systems, some of which function on PS5.
Recent financial results suggest challenges for Microsoft. According to data reported by The Times of India, Xbox's last accounting profit margin was 3%, contrasting with PlayStation's 9.9% and Nintendo's 16%, another major company focused on consoles and exclusives. Sharma's goal is to achieve similar financial levels in the next fiscal year.
The recent staff reductions have caused apprehension among studios acquired by Xbox. Important titles under the company's umbrella include Call of Duty, Diablo, and Fallout, as well as classics like Minecraft and Candy Crush. The intention is to boost these games to increase the player base in the coming years.
Sharma stated that three of these franchises generate annual profits of US$ 1 billion (equivalent to R$ 5.08 billion) each, although she did not specify which ones. The growth projection also covers the expansion of these brands beyond the gaming universe, through audiovisual productions, commercial partnerships, and licensed products.
Since taking the helm in February, Asha Sharma has already signaled a more aggressive stance for Xbox Game Pass, the main bet of Phil Spencer's management. Through more competitive pricing, the initial expectation is an increase in the number of users, with a forecast of 200 million new players during the 2026 fiscal year.
This represents only the first phase of the plan presented by Sharma. The subsequent plan involves both increasing the number of players and strengthening consoles and franchises to raise revenue. The third and final step is focusing on audience engagement to achieve the goal of 500 million daily active users on Xbox platforms.
For those who own an Xbox One or Xbox Series X console, there is an opportunity to update their game library, as offers have been gathered on Amazon. The promotions cover various styles, from cooperative adventures to block-building games.
One of the titles on sale is Halo Infinite, available for Xbox One and Xbox Series X. This game revives the classic essence of the franchise, presenting an open world, a robust campaign, and competitive multiplayer modes. The physical version includes an exclusive deck, making it appealing to both players and collectors.
Another option is Lego Movie for Xbox One, originally released in 2014. It was well-received for blending the film's humor with typical Lego game gameplay, making it ideal for family sessions or introducing video games to children, with levels inspired by the movie's universe.
Back 4 Blood emerges as a spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead, offering intense cooperative action against swarms of infected. Developed by Turtle Rock Studios, it supports campaigns for up to four players, in addition to having a PvP mode and a card system that allows customization of each match, making it recommended for cooperation fans.
Due to common limitations in physical game stock, it is recommended to check availability immediately if any of these titles spark interest. Readers can access the provided links to check current conditions on Amazon and secure their copies.
The Xbox technology director, Scott Van Vliet, classified an outage lasting about 20 hours in Xbox services as 'unacceptable.' The incident occurred on Monday, July 27th, and was caused by an external licensing service that impacted several platform functionalities.
Due to this failure, many players faced difficulties logging into their accounts, accessing their game libraries, and even playing titles already installed on consoles. Van Vliet detailed that the persistence of the problem for almost a full day was the factor leading to its classification as an 'unacceptable situation,' given that short instabilities are considered tolerable.
According to the executive, the origin of the problem lay in an external licensing service, essential to the Xbox ecosystem, which also harmed company partners dependent on that same service. The issue was detected early on Monday through an automated monitoring system. The Xbox team responded by redirecting traffic to the parts of the system that were still operational while investigating the cause.
This mitigation attempt resulted in the irregular return of the service in different regions, which explains why users perceived the restoration at different times. Regarding future actions, Van Vliet stated that comprehensive post-incident analyses are being conducted. He emphasized that his focus is not just on the root cause, but on understanding why a failure in one service generated such instability and why recovery took so long.
The promised improvements include strengthening critical dependencies for login and game startup, enhancing methods for detecting and controlling this type of failure, and increasing transparency with users during issues. When questioned about the licensing system, Van Vliet clarified that it is a Microsoft service itself, shared across various company products. In response to a user comment on X, he reinforced that ideal systems must have resilient solutions for dependency failures, concluding that 'this is where we will improve.'
The PlayStation 5 catalog features several highly anticipated titles from recent years, and currently, three of them can be acquired in good condition through Amazon. A selection has been prepared covering everything from open-world action games to Marvel hero titles, catering to various player tastes.
The long-awaited GTA VI was released for the PS5, offering an even vaster open world, meticulous graphics, a captivating narrative, and the characteristic gameplay of the franchise. It has established itself as one of the most discussed releases of the generation and is considered essential for owners of the Sony console.
Furthermore, the Wolverine game, produced by Insomniac Games, provided PS5 users with an intense action experience featuring the most aggressive character of the X-Men. This specific package also includes the Titan Heroes collectible figure of Wolverine, making it an excellent option for Marvel enthusiasts who wish to combine a game and a collectible item in a single purchase.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 allowed Peter Parker and Miles Morales to act together in a more vibrant and detailed New York. The title intensely explored the capabilities of the PS5, presenting agile loading times, DualSense haptic feedback, and remarkable visuals, making it one of the platform's most praised exclusives.
It is important to note that promotions like these tend to be short-lived, and stock may run out or prices may change at any moment. If any of these games are on the consumer's wishlist, it is recommended to check the offer immediately to secure the purchase before the promotion ends.
