If Xbox is 'recommitting' to its console, what does that mean for its recent 'everything is an Xbox' strategy?

If Xbox is ‘recommitting’ to its console, what does that mean for its recent ‘everything is an Xbox’ strategy? | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Gaming Industry Videogames are ‘losing in the War for Attention’: Analyst says many of the industry’s biggest markets are spending less time on gaming Gaming Industry Xbox boss Phil Spencer is retiring, and his replacement is an AI executive who joined Microsoft in 2024 FPS PC sales of High On Life were just behind PlayStation, the ‘lead platform,’ but Xbox trailed behind despite its 7-month console exclusivity deal Handheld Gaming PCs Surprise, surprise: The ROG Xbox Ally X just got a AU$200 price hike in Australia Gaming Industry Remedy’s new CEO is a former sports betting guy and EA executive who aims to ‘scale Remedy in a way that builds lasting value’ Gaming Industry DayZ creator calls to ‘normalize delaying games,’ that consumers can show Xbox and Sony ‘that delays are okay’ and, oh, ‘Personally: don’t preorder games, folks. 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Features By Wes Fenlon published 20 February 2026 Divining meaning from the words of Microsoft Gaming’s new CEO. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Microsoft) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer Get the PC Gamer Newsletter Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? 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Subscribe to our newsletter After struggling to compete with the PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, Microsoft’s gaming division has spent the last few years trying to remake the Xbox brand into a software label first and foremost: it started with Steam releases and cloud streaming, continued with the painful “This is an Xbox” ad campaign, and culminated in phrases like “We’re able to honor the Halo legacy on PlayStation” which could only be read as admissions of defeat. Now with the abrupt retirement of longtime boss Phil Spencer, incoming Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma has said that the company “will celebrate our roots with a renewed commitment to Xbox starting with console.”What, exactly, does that mean for the last few years of Microsoft’s gaming strategy?Maybe it means precisely nothing. It’s the sort of reassuring but nonspecific language we expect from executives who want to soothe fan (and more importantly, investor) worries that shit’s about to get cray cray. And Xbox leadership has repeatedly stated it will continue making consoles, though we have to imagine that the RAMpocalypse has made some plans that seemed on solid ground just a few months ago now much less certain. Related articles New Xbox boss promises no ‘soulless AI slop’ after moving over from Microsoft’s CoreAI products division Xbox hardware sales slump by 32% as Microsoft reports that its overall gaming revenue is in decline Xbox boss