Asha Sharma
Reporting and statements that mention Asha Sharma.
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XBOX to Suffer Layoffs to Counter Falling Revenue in July – Rumor
A report from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier suggests that Xbox is planning significant layoffs in July as part of CEO Asha Sharma's strategy to address falling revenue. The company has reportedly seen a nearly half-billion dollar decline in annual revenue over the past five years, excluding Activision Blizzard King. Alongside layoffs, budgets for marketing and other areas are expected to be reduced.
Xbox’s July Layoffs Could Involve Studio Closures – Rumor
A report from The Verge suggests that Microsoft's Xbox division may implement layoffs in July, potentially including the closure of a studio. This follows a Bloomberg report indicating major job cuts are planned by Xbox CEO Asha Sharma to mitigate revenue losses. Sharma and CCO Matt Booty acknowledged a 3 percent accountability margin decline and discussed challenges with rising hardware component costs, necessitating a new business model for future projects like 'Project Helix'.
Xbox Finally Has Big Exclusives Again, But Gamers Are Still Confused
Xbox is facing confusion regarding its exclusive game strategy, with recent announcements like Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution being console exclusives while other titles remain multiplatform. This shift back towards exclusives, despite years of opening up its games, has led to criticism about inconsistent communication and strategy from Microsoft executives like Asha Sharma and Matthew Ball. The article questions the long-term viability and clarity of this approach, especially concerning future titles and the impact on player trust.
XBOX Leadership Outlines Five “Realities” Faced by the Company Going Forward
Xbox leadership, including CEO Asha Sharma and Chief Content Officer Matt Booty, have outlined five key "realities" the company faces. These include fighting for player attention despite a large user base, a recent fiscal year decline due to investments, rising hardware component costs, the need to reassess investment priorities for game development, and an outdated platform infrastructure that requires rebuilding.
Microsoft doesn't know what to do about the memory pricing crisis Microsoft is causing
Microsoft is facing a memory pricing crisis, partly caused by its own AI ambitions, which is impacting its ability to release a cutting-edge new Xbox at an affordable price. New Xbox boss Asha Sharma acknowledged the need for new business models beyond just high-performance hardware, suggesting radical changes and flexible storage solutions to address the affordability issue.
Yet more layoffs reported at Ubisoft, this time in San Francisco
Ubisoft has reportedly laid off dozens of employees from its San Francisco studio as part of an ongoing restructuring, following studio closures in Winnipeg and Belgrade. Meanwhile, Xbox is also reportedly planning significant layoffs and budget cuts across marketing and other areas as new CEO Asha Sharma initiates a "reset" for the business, aiming to improve efficiency and player value.
Xbox reportedly planning more layoffs as "CEO calls for "Xbox reset"
Xbox is reportedly planning significant layoffs and budget cuts as new CEO Asha Sharma initiates a "reset" for the business. The company aims to become more self-reliant in engineering and re-evaluate investment priorities over the next five years. This comes amid declining revenue and a focus on exclusive titles and subscription service growth.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and executive vice president Matt Booty publish staff memo ‘Next 100 Days: Xbox Reset’
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and EVP Matt Booty have outlined a 'reset' plan for the company, acknowledging declining core revenue despite significant investment. The memo details challenges including a hardware component crisis and overextended studio systems, signaling potential major layoffs and restructuring to achieve profitability and a stronger market position.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma issues statement on restructuring following leaked email regarding layoffs
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has issued a statement confirming a restructuring and potential layoffs by the end of June, following a leaked internal email. Sharma cited overspending and the need to "reset" the business, emphasizing that the company has "over extended" in areas like live-service demands. The move comes as Xbox aims to re-evaluate its investment priorities for the next five years.
Xbox posts new memo recapping CEO’s first 100 days, outlines “reset” for the company
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and CCO Mat Booty have outlined the company's strategic reset following Sharma's first 100 days. The memo addresses challenges including declining revenue, hardware component costs, and studio overextension, while highlighting recent successes in platform updates, Game Pass growth, and new exclusive game announcements like Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution.
Major Xbox layoffs reportedly on the way as CEO Asha Sharma admits Microsoft's gaming division is "over…
Xbox is reportedly planning significant layoffs and budget cuts across its gaming division, according to an internal email from CEO Asha Sharma. Sharma and chief content officer Matt Booty cited over-investment in content and studios, which has not yielded expected revenue growth, as the reason for this "Xbox reset."
Xbox Reportedly Planning Big Layoffs For Next Month
Microsoft's Xbox division is reportedly planning significant layoffs after June 30, following statements from new CEO Asha Sharma about the business's financial health. Sharma cited declining revenue, increased hardware component costs, and strategic overextension as reasons for the impending cuts. These layoffs come after a period of studio expansion under previous leadership.
Xbox CEO Believes Consoles Are Too Expensive And “Radically Different” Plans Are Needed
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma believes current console pricing is too high for mass audiences and that "radically different" business models are needed for the future. She acknowledged disappointing financial results and stated that Xbox will introduce exclusive content to improve its business health, citing Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution as examples.
Gears Of War: E-Day Skipping PS5 Means Reaching Fewer Players, And Microsoft Is OK With That
Microsoft's The Coalition has confirmed that Gears of War: E-Day will not be released on PlayStation 5, opting instead for an Xbox and PC exclusive strategy. Studio creative director Matt Searcy stated that the decision makes sense for the Xbox brand, despite reaching a smaller audience. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and CCO Matt Booty have emphasized a renewed focus on exclusives to drive platform sales and reward loyal fans.
Xbox Will 'Try to Do More' Console Exclusives if the Health of Its Business Improves
New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma stated that the company will increase console exclusives if its business health improves, citing Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution as initial examples. Sharma acknowledged that Xbox's current business is not healthy, but emphasized the goal of making games available everywhere while also maintaining platform exclusivity. She also noted the high cost of components and hinted at radically different business models emerging later this year.
Xbox 'console exclusives' are strictly about console releases, Xbox exec affirms: Games will 'still show up on all the normal places where we sell the PC version'
Xbox executives have clarified that 'console exclusives' specifically refer to releases on Xbox consoles, not PlayStation. Games designated as such will still be available on PC and through Xbox Cloud streaming. This strategy aims to differentiate Xbox from PlayStation by ensuring titles are not released on Sony's platform, while still leveraging the synergy between Xbox and PC.
$80 Games Are Already Here
The video game market is already seeing $80 games, with Nintendo leading the charge on titles like Mario Kart World and upcoming Switch 2 releases. This trend is fueled by rising development costs and inflation, with analysts predicting more publishers will adopt higher price points. While some companies like Sony and Microsoft have maintained $70 prices, others like Take-Two Interactive have successfully implemented price hikes, suggesting $80 could become the new standard for AAA games.
Asha Sharma Says Xbox Has to Think Differently About Helix Pricing
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma stated that the gaming industry is facing a crisis in hardware pricing due to shortages and exponential cost increases for memory and storage. She indicated that Xbox will explore innovative and flexible pricing and storage options for its upcoming Project Helix console to ensure affordability and broader consumer access, moving away from a purely 'premium' experience.
Xbox admits consoles are becoming unaffordable and hints at 'new business model'
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has indicated that the company is exploring new business models for future consoles due to the current hardware crisis and rising component costs. She suggested that the next Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, may move away from a purely premium, high-performance focus to ensure affordability for a wider audience, potentially through flexible storage options or different pricing strategies.
Xbox CEO unsure whether Activision Blizzard merger is paying off
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma expressed uncertainty about whether Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been profitable, despite acknowledging the value of its franchises like Call of Duty and Candy Crush. The article notes that Microsoft has conducted multiple rounds of layoffs since the 2023 merger, impacting various studios and divisions, and that Xbox hardware sales have been in decline.
