As of today, Microsoft Gaming will be no more, and Xbox will return as the central identity of the brand. The company has evolved in many ways in recent years, but new leadership aims to bring Xbox back to its roots.
The beginning of 2026 saw several major shakeups when it came to Xbox leadership. Longtime Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer retired after more than a decade in the position, and his expected successor, Sarah Bond, left the company with him. Bond's departure was one of the most surprising of all, but this opened the door for newcomer Asha Sharma to step in as the new CEO. Ever since she started her role, many of the changes Asha Sharma has made to Xbox have been well received by many Xbox fans, and her next mission is to scrap the Microsoft Gaming name for good.
28-year-old Xbox veteran is officially leaving Microsoft
A longtime leader from the Xbox gaming division is moving on to a new career path after spending nearly three full decades with the company.
The Age of Microsoft Gaming is over and the new era of Xbox has begun
This news comes from a Verge report detailing Asha Sharma's decision to leave the Microsoft Gaming brand earlier. According to the Tom Warren report, Sharma stated in a meeting that “Xbox has to be our identity.” She argued that the business under Microsoft Gaming was too far removed from the company's original personality. The brand changed to Microsoft Gaming around the same time Microsoft's controversial Activision Blizzard deal was announced, marking a major change in direction. However, Asha Sharma aims to undo some of these decisions.
Bringing back the Xbox brand comes shortly after Sharma announced it Call of Duty leaving Game Pass as a day one release. New entries in the popular FPS shooter series will now be added to Game Pass approximately one year after their initial release. The reason this was done was to lower the price of Game Pass Ultimate. Xbox found itself in hot water last year after raising the price of the Ultimate tier to $30 a month, but Asha Sharma recently reduced the subscription to $22.99 a month.
There are also rumors that a customizable Xbox Game Pass plan could be in the works. Bold claims like these should definitely be taken with a grain of salt, but it would be another big change to Game Pass if true. Xbox's reputation with its audience has been rocky for some time, and Sharma's decisions are clear attempts to try to win back longtime customers. According to the Verge report, the Xbox headquarters has even been revamped with messages on the wall that read “return of Xbox.”
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Sharma has only been the new Xbox CEO for a few months at this point, but that hasn't stopped her from making surprising changes to the company. It's far too early to tell how effective her leadership will be for Xbox, but these attempts to return to the company's roots are certainly exciting.
Source: The Verge
