By Paula Beaton At last week’s Xbox town hall internal meeting, Xbox boss Asha Sharma spoke of the importance of creating “enduring new IP” despite the changes and layoffs impacting the brand this year.
As transcribed and reported by Windows Central, Xbox boss Asha Sharma reportedly spoke about Xbox’s future, and how her team are “backing our strongest franchises,” referring to franchises such as Forza, Gears, Minecraft, and Halo, to name a few. She was also supposedly quick to add that the brand “will not survive” if these past franchises are the sole focus moving into the future.
“We’re backing our strongest franchises. I want our great games to become great global billion-dollar franchises. I would also like to see us continue to create enduring new IP. We will not survive if we only revive on the past. We have to find new ways, and courage, to have invention on new IP, that reaches new sets of audiences.”
While it’s true that franchises such as Gears and Halo have taken Xbox to where it is today, Sharma clearly isn’t one to rest on her laurels — or to allow the brand to rest on the success of past franchises, no matter how big they are now or will become in the future.
These comments follow hot on the heels of a slew of restructuring moves by Xbox in 2026, including two rounds of layoffs, as well as studio mergers and closures.
In September, a second round of layoffs cost 268 employees their jobs, Activision took over development of the next Halo game, and we saw changes across Bethesda, Obsidian, King, Playground, and Turn 10. Just last week, we heard about Ninja Theory layoffs affecting a number of employees.
So what does this all mean for the future of Xbox? Well, the brand’s biggest franchises remain a core focus moving into 2027 and beyond, and a key part of its goal is to grow these franchises. However, the Xbox boss’s comments made it clear that the company’s success won’t rely solely on these.
Asha Sharma also spoke about opportunities to grow Xbox’s casual gaming segment and mentioned simplifying studios, hinting that “more simplification” could be on the way. Does this mean we could see more studio mergers and closures? We’ll update you as soon as we hear the latest news.