Xbox boss Phil Spencer is retiring after 12 years main Microsoft’s gaming division. His alternative is Asha Sharma, the president of Microsoft’s CoreAI Product division. And within the new Xbox head’s first memo, she guarantees to keep away from AI slop, however makes it clear that AI will probably be part of the model’s future.
On February 20, as reported by IGN, Spencer is stepping down from his position as CEO of Microsoft Gaming after over a decade main Xbox. Whereas many assumed his alternative can be Sarah Bond, the president of Xbox, that wasn’t the case. Bond can also be leaving Xbox alongside Spencer. As an alternative, Sharma has been chosen to steer the Xbox division, and in her first memo to the corporate, obtained by The Verge and later shared by Xbox, the previous head of AI at Microsoft promised “the return of Xbox” and claimed she would keep away from flooding Xbox with AI slop, however that it will “evolve” and be part of Xbox’s “future.”
“As monetization and AI evolve and affect this future, we won’t chase short-term effectivity or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop,” stated Sharma. “Video games are and all the time will probably be artwork, crafted by people, and created with essentially the most revolutionary know-how offered by us.”
The brand new Xbox boss additionally promised that extra nice video games had been coming.
“We will need to have nice video games beloved by gamers earlier than we do something,” stated Sharma. “Unforgettable characters, tales that make us really feel, revolutionary gameplay, and artistic excellence. We are going to empower our studios, spend money on iconic franchises, and again daring new concepts. We are going to take dangers. We are going to enter new classes and markets the place we are able to add actual worth, grounded in what gamers care about most.”
New Xbox boss dedicated to the console aspect of the enterprise, however…
As for future consoles, one thing Xbox has beforehand confirmed and teased, Sharma says the corporate will “have fun” its followers and historical past with a “renewed dedication to Xbox beginning with console.” The brand new boss made it clear, nonetheless, that Xbox isn’t going again to being merely a console and the model will proceed to develop to extra platforms, like cell and streaming.
“Gaming now lives throughout gadgets, not inside the limits of any single piece of {hardware},” stated Sharma. “As we develop throughout PC, cell, and cloud, Xbox ought to really feel seamless, prompt, and worthy of the communities we serve. We are going to break down limitations so builders can construct as soon as and attain gamers all over the place with out compromise.”
Sharma’s memo walks a tightrope. She is attempting to persuade the hardcore Xbox avid gamers on the market that she may be trusted to keep away from AI slop, regardless of her historical past of working with AI, and that she’s dedicated to bringing the model again to its Xbox 360 glory days whereas additionally signaling to executives and traders that AI will probably be a part of Xbox’s rising future throughout non-Xbox gadgets. Tough rope to stroll, and whereas I feel her memo is stable, the important thing will probably be what truly occurs over the subsequent few months and years.
Is that this a brand new period for Xbox, or are we seeing the primary indicators that Xbox is really useless and about to be consumed by Microsoft?
