At an internal meeting, the Xbox chief said the business was returning to growth and putting consoles back at the center of its strategy. She described Helix as a family of devices and Game Pass as a more flexible subscription.
Xbox chief Asha Sharma briefed Microsoft staff on plans for consoles, Game Pass and the wider gaming ecosystem. Windows Central reported on the internal meeting after reviewing a transcript; 3DNews based its report on that coverage.
Sharma said player numbers, hours played and revenue had declined at the start of the year, while playtime metrics had since stabilized and Microsoft’s own games had begun to grow. After hitting a historic low, some measures were now two to three times above their previous levels, she said, crediting restructuring and reinvestment. She also cited strong starts for Gears of War: E-Day and Minecraft Dungeons 2 and a 30% rise in positive brand sentiment over the past year.
Sharma called Xbox Series X|S the platform’s foundation and said the company needed to invest more in its console business. The next generation, code-named Helix, would be a family of devices rather than a single model, she said. It would include a flagship console as well as options for players who prefer handheld gaming, potentially developed with partners.
Game Pass is to become more flexible, allowing users to choose the types of content they want. Xbox also plans to make it easier to release games across Series X|S, Helix and PC, continue developing Xbox Play Anywhere and build on Battle.net. Sharma urged staff to account for economic uncertainty and memory-supply constraints.