Between Game Pass prices dropping and an alleged “pick your own Game Pass plan” feature in the works, Xbox has had a busy week. Now, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and the head of Xbox Game Studios, Matt Booty, have published an open letter that was originally sent to Xbox employees globally. The letter reminisces on the origins of Xbox, addresses the issues plaguing the company in modern times, and discusses plans for the future.
The following is the most interesting snippet from the open letter:
“We have to be honest about where we are. We’re a challenger, and meeting this moment will require pace, energy, and a level of self-critique that should feel uncomfortable.”
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The letter also confirms that players are having pricing issues, complaining about Xbox’s weak presence on PC, and feeling that content expectations are not being met. Another interesting tidbit is that the team is changing its name from “Microsoft Gaming” to simply “Xbox.”
Xbox Wants Things To Change
It’s not much of a stretch to say that Xbox has been struggling compared to Sony and Nintendo. The Xbox One lost the eighth-generation console race to the PS4, with reports suggesting that the Xbox One family sold fewer than half as many consoles as the PS4. Then Microsoft started buying up studios like Bethesda and Activision during the Series X|S generation, and those gigantic investments have been hard to keep up with, which is partly why Game Pass prices increased in the first place. Price increases to both the consoles and Game Pass have frustrated fans again and again, and Xbox wants to win their trust back.
The open letter also states that “More than half of the market’s revenue, players, and growth are happening outside of our core markets.” It also suggests the idea that the core model needs to change. Finally, the open letter also suggests that Project Helix will lead in performance and deliver the ability to play PC games. But to make Xbox “affordable, personal, and open,” the company is still focusing on improving the cloud experience in terms of pricing and accessibility. The letter states that consoles will remain the foundation, but we’ll likely get a clearer picture as we receive more updates and the release of Project Helix.
Published: Apr 24, 2026 11:30 am