Xbox is currently navigating a period of intense volatility. Following a massive wave of layoffs and the divestment of studios like Ninja Theory and Undead Labs, the company is narrowing its focus toward major franchises including Fallout, Halo, and Wolfenstein. Despite this turbulent environment, CEO Asha Sharma has revealed an exceptionally high bar for the company's future: she wants Xbox to entertain more than a billion people every single day.
A Massive Goal for a Shrinking Ecosystem
Sharma shared the vision in an email to employees, which was later posted to social media. “I want XBOX to be one of the few companies that entertains more than a billion people each day and gives everyone the opportunity to create and connect,” Sharma wrote. She expressed confidence that the brand’s history of beloved franchises and global studio talent would allow the company to return to growth by 2027.
The scale of this ambition is difficult to reconcile with the company’s historical performance. Even during the Xbox 360 era—widely considered the company’s most successful generation—total console sales reached 84 million units. Aiming for one billion daily users requires a massive expansion far beyond the traditional console market, especially as hardware costs continue to climb. Reports suggest that the upcoming "Project Helix" console will likely lack a disc drive, and rising memory costs could push the price of next-generation hardware to at least $1,000 at launch.
Restructuring and the Future of Xbox
The announcement regarding user growth came alongside somber news for the company's workforce. Sharma confirmed that Xbox is beginning the most significant restructure in its history, which includes plans to reduce the team by approximately 3,200 people throughout the 2027 fiscal year.
As the company pivots away from smaller studios to prioritize its biggest intellectual properties, it is also attempting to address the transition to an all-digital landscape. Recent reports indicate that Microsoft is testing a feature designed to allow users to digitize their existing physical game collections, a move that suggests the company is looking for ways to retain its current player base as the industry moves further away from physical media.
Whether this strategy can successfully bridge the gap between current market realities and Sharma’s billion-user target remains the central question for the future of the Xbox brand.