At a recent internal Xbox Town Hall, CEO Asha Sharma told employees the company needs enduring new IP alongside its strongest franchises. A transcript shared with Windows Central quotes her warning that Xbox “will not survive” if it only leans on the past.
Windows Central: Xbox CEO Asha Sharma wants to keep building "enduring" new IP — with a warning in tow
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Sharma’s ambition is to make Fallout, Call of Duty, and World of Warcraft billion-dollar global franchises while developing new properties that can reach different audiences. Original games are meant to complement Xbox’s established hits, not replace them.
Xbox’s reset already shows the strain around that goal. Plans announced in July called for 3,200 job cuts by the end of the financial year. The company has also canceled Rare’s Everwild and ZeniMax Online’s Project Blackbird, along with Ninja Theory’s experimental horror game Project Mara.
Studio changes have gone beyond cancellations. Double Fine, Ninja Theory, and Compulsion were among the studios divested. Compulsion, Double Fine, and Undead Labs have gone independent, while two agreements for Ninja Theory have fallen through and staff consultation at Arkane remains underway. Halo has moved to Activision’s stewardship, plans also called for Sea of Thieves to move under Activision, and Obsidian has been put to work on a new Fallout project under Bethesda.
Xbox’s publishing slate also includes Hideo Kojima’s upcoming horror game OD and Physint, his Metal Gear Solid spiritual successor. Double Fine’s pottery brawler Kiln offers another example of original work associated with a studio affected by the reshuffle.
Sharma has also described Xbox’s first-party games business as returning to growth, citing stabilized hours spent and strong starts for Gears of War: E-Day, Minecraft Dungeons 2, and World of Warcraft Forever.
What would you want to see from Xbox to make its commitment to new IP tangible? Follow the company’s studio changes and creative plans on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
