Xbox wants players to feel like “Xbox gamers” again. To do that, the company behind the big green “X” needs to regain all the gamers it lost in its mindless quest for game subscriptions. Knowing today’s players and their longing for a simpler—and less anti-consumer—era of gaming, it may be Xbox’s best and only bet.
On Thursday, Xbox’s new CEO, Asha Sharma, and chief content officer, Matt Booty, published an internal memo that they had sent to Xbox staff. The letter revealed the “Microsoft Gaming” brand was now—simply—”Xbox” again. Separating itself from Microsoft is a smart play. It’s the tech monolith’s last fully consumer-facing brand. The broader Microsoft portfolio looks like a Charlie Kelly conspiracy board of government (and military), B2B, and AI contracts.
Xbox’s previous leadership under Phil Spencer spent the last few years letting the Xbox Series S and Series X slip away into obscurity. In 2026, Xbox’s new goal is putting players’ butts in seats, and that means returning to the “Gen 9” consoles.
In an interview with game journalist Stephen Totilo, Sharma said, “We are investing in [Xbox Series S/X] as a first-class experience again, and we want to make sure that all the players who want to be on Gen 9 are on Gen 9 with a great console with regular updates.” According to The Verge’s Tom Warren, these updates may come every two weeks.
Xbox chief Asha Sharma also mentioned during her all-hands yesterday that the teams are meeting daily on Project Helix, and that there will also be biweekly Xbox Series S/X console updates until end of the year. The reinvestment in Xbox OS is very interesting.
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) April 24, 2026
The Xbox Series X now starts at $600 for the digital edition, $150 more than it did in 2020. The console is cost-equivalent to the PlayStation 5 after recent price hikes. Before and after the apocalyptic price changes of 2025, Xbox trailed PS5 in console sales. Sharma told Totilo she was “wanting to see the Xbox [division] return to growth next year.” Part of this new push is a lower-cost Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. The price drop drew praise from gamers, even if it sacrifices the chance to play Call of Duty titles on launch day.
The sky-high costs of the Series S/X won’t help bring back growth. The $900 PlayStation 5 Pro with its updated upscaler is currently the most powerful console you can buy outside of PCs. With Project Helix on the horizon and a prospective launch in 2027, few players would want to buy a last-gen console that costs more than it did on launch day. So it will come down to game and peripheral sales. Sharma and Booty were explicit that they’re still doing the internal cost/benefit analysis on console exclusivity. To hit growth, let alone profitability, they need more gamers to buy in, specifically more daily active users, or DAU.
Xbox doesn’t need new players; it needs old players
© Joshua Seiler / ShutterstockIn effect, Sharma wants players who used to play on Xbox to come back to the fold. Word of mouth matters a lot in gaming circles when margins are so slight. That’s why Sharma and Booty mentioned new accessories and peripherals for existing Series X players. Microsoft’s gaming arm already has a team focusing on player experiences. The group recently added new visuals and sound effects to achievements. Reminding players of the original pops and celebrations for scoring rare achievements on their Xbox 360 is like a hit of nostalgia-laced dopamine right to the big vein.
You can witness this play toward nostalgia plainly in the redesigned Xbox logo. Instead of a bland white X on a black background, the new version is suffused in a green neon that’s immediately reminiscent of the original nuclear-toned special edition Halo Xbox console.
We Are Xbox pic.twitter.com/tJs10kGLwn
— Xbox (@Xbox) April 23, 2026
Sharma—despite being harangued for her lack of gaming experience when she first came on—has hit upon this point after less than two months on the job. She’s said all the right things to get Xbox fans excited again. All that’s left is to wait and see if the company follows through on its promises.
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