I'm still here with Xbox for now — but it has some serious identity work ahead if it wants to reassure long-time fans

I’ve been with Xbox since the original console, getting Xbox Live in 2007 for Halo 3, and I never really looked back. That is not to say I ignored other platforms. I enjoyed PlayStation and Nintendo, but I never felt compelled to build my profile there the way I did with Xbox.

That mindset began to shift around two years ago. I started gaming less, and some of Xbox’s decisions made me feel like my nearly two decades of loyalty mattered less than attracting new audiences.

Now, growth is important, but should not come at the expense of the people who helped build it. Every major company cares about revenue, but customers should not feel like nothing more than transactions.

While I appreciated what Phil Spencer did for Xbox, the company needed fresh energy. Asha Sharma might deliver exactly that.

I'm cautiously optimistic for Xbox

If that last part did not make sense, yes, Xbox has a new CEO, Asha Sharma, and yes, Phil Spencer is retiring. If you have not already, I highly recommend reading Jez’s exclusive interview with the new CEO. It is substantial, but I will briefly touch on a few key points.

Sharma reaffirmed Xbox’s commitment to hardware, pushed back against bad or unnecessary AI, and, interestingly, did not rule out exclusives being part of its future. Of course, more cautious or pessimistic readers may see this as standard corporate reassurance. That is fair.

But as someone who tends to see the glass half full, I cannot ignore that Sharma is saying many of the right things. We will have to wait and see whether it all translates into action, but it feels like a strangely exciting and slightly worrying time to be part of Xbox.

Sharma, alongside Matt Booty, who recently received a promotion, has a significant task ahead in rebuilding trust. However, Sharma previously scaled Facebook Messenger to billions of users. If someone can make that many people care about Facebook Messenger of all things, it suggests she understands how to grow and sustain engagement at scale.

That alone does not guarantee success at Xbox. But it does mean she deserves a fair chance, in my opinion.

There's a fine line between expansion and erosion

To circle back to the beginning, and how my view of Xbox has shifted over the past couple of years, much of it comes down to presentation. I disliked the “this is an Xbox” advert. Not because it was poorly made, but because, as a console player, it made me feel undervalued.

If it had focused on someone playing on their Xbox and then seamlessly continuing that same game on their phone or PC from the get-go, the message would have felt different. Instead, whether intentional or not, it came across as “you do not need an Xbox.”

That perception is what stuck with many fans. And I cannot help but wonder if that messaging is part of why Xbox now feels like it is going through something of an identity crisis. This may have sounded like I hate the current state of Xbox, but that could not be further from the truth.

Yes, I have my gripes, and yes, it is far from perfect. But I still want the platform to succeed and flourish. I do not plan on leaving Xbox anytime soon

Another price hike might test that resolve, but overall, the future plans are genuinely exciting. The idea of taking my Xbox library to an Xbox PC with Steam integration, or even an Xbox handheld that can access games I have built up over 18 years, is compelling.

Based on Sharma’s comments in her interview with Jez, it feels like she understands the importance of Xbox having a home base people can physically return to. That sense of home is something I feel was lost toward the end of Phil’s tenure, whether he realized it or not.

I've also done a round-up of how you, the readers, are feeling about Xbox, so if you missed that first time around, give it a read.

🗨️ Are you feeling the same about Xbox?

Do you feel confident in Xbox’s new direction under Asha Sharma, or are you still waiting to see how it all unfolds? Let me know in the comments section or over on Reddit!

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