Xbox changes its brand and shuts down Microsoft Gaming; understand the rebranding.

After facing numerous criticisms from the community itself amidst rising prices, the company's new CEO sent a memo to all employees announcing a Xbox rebranding To bring the brand back to its former glory. New exclusive games, changes to internal policies, and a focus on players are the main themes of the statement. See the summary.

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Who is Asha Sharma?

Assuming the position in February of this year following the departure of Phil Spencer, Asha Sharma is the new Xbox CEOShe also serves as executive vice president. She is at the heart of the changes announced in the memo and is described as a "tech native" executive, with experience at industry giants where she led products used by billions of people.

• Microsoft (2024–2026): Before joining Xbox, she was the President of Products at CoreAI, leading the development of infrastructure and models (such as Azure OpenAI and Azure AI Foundry);
• Instacart (2021–2024): He served as COO (Chief Operating Officer), playing a key role in leading the company to its IPO and profitability;
• Meta/Facebook (2017–2021): She was Vice President of Product, overseeing the company's Messenger, Instagram Direct, and platform services;
• Porch Group: He helped build the company from scratch as COO and CMO, achieving a market value of over $1 billion in its public debut.

As soon as he took office, Asha started working with Matt Booty, who became Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer. In this role, the two will work directly to bring new content to the community of one of the three largest gaming companies in the world.

"We are Xbox"

In 2022, the Xbox announced the name change to Microsoft Gaming, aiming to adapt its identity to entrance of Activision BlizzardThe company also began investing in marketing strategies that showed that any device with compatible hardware could be a XboxBut that has changed: from now on, the Microsoft Gaming It will revert to being called simply Xbox.

The company also announced the return of the classic logo, which was revealed on social media and already adopted on the company's buildings. It's worth noting that for years the logo was only white, and the 2026 change was celebrated by many. It's part of a strategy to revitalize the brand, along with the end of the "this is an Xbox" campaign and other initiatives.

"We are Xbox” (“We are Xbox“) is the new name adopted by the team that was previously called “Microsoft Gaming,” marking a return to the brand's origins. The memo explains that while “Microsoft Gaming” described the corporate structure, that name did not reflect its true ambition. The name change symbolizes a transformation in how the team works to achieve its new master plan, highlighting that the best work happens when everyone operates together.

Beyond being a change in terminology, the phrase represents a high-agency culture where bold and wonderful ideas can thrive. The goal of this culture is not to cover up or ignore team differences, but rather to connect everyone in something bigger than any individual studio or product.

Player dissatisfaction

The memo also acknowledges that the players are far from satisfied with the current state of affairs. Xbox And that this needs to change urgently. The idea that games are becoming increasingly expensive for the end consumer and the fact that developers lack a good platform to grow on has been highlighted as a red flag by... Asha.

She mentions that gamers need more than just a platform to play, but also to socialize. Past actions will no longer be taken into account, although further details have not been shared.

The industry is becoming global and competitive. More than half of the revenue, market share, and growth are happening outside our core markets. But the rest of the world isn't just one big market. Developers there are increasingly competing with established Western studios, combining scale, speed, and a willingness to reinvent genres that many once considered mature. The model that got us here won't be the one that takes us further.

Asha Sharma in an Xbox memo.

New approach in exclusive games and use of AI.

O Xbox The company will reassess its strategies, addressing three main areas: game exclusivity, windowing, and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Leadership emphasizes that the plan is still being formulated and promises to share more information as they learn and make new decisions. The company also declined to comment on what will be done going forward, but is excited to hear player feedback and contribute to the well-being of the community.

When discussing the application of AI in the gaming industry, Sharma She was emphatic in reassuring the community and creators: the strategy is not intended to force developers to adopt AI tools, and the company will not "flood the ecosystem with low-quality content."

Along the way, we will reassess our approach to exclusivity, launch windows, and artificial intelligence, and share more as we learn and make decisions. I will not flood our ecosystem with low-quality content. We will not have careless production, we will not have derivative works. 

Asha Sharma in an Xbox memo.

Project Helix

With the end of the ninth generation of Xbox, Asha still wishes to improve this community as a preparation for the arrival of Project HelixNew hardware focused on delivering a connected experience between PCs and smartphones/tablets. This aligns with the overall vision established by leadership to build a global and integrated platform, connecting users' progress and games across consoles, computers, mobile devices, and the cloud.

Recent leaks provide much more robust details about the Project Helix, pointing out that it will not just be a traditional console, but a high-performance hybrid device capable of rivaling high-end computers.

O Project Helix da ecosystem It promises to be a "disruptive" console costing US$1.200 (approximately R$6.000) with the power of a PC. gamer from US$3.000 (approximately R$15.000). The secret to this performance is a massive AMD APU (3nm, RDNA 5) with over 400 mm².

This reliance on pure brute force distances him from the strategy of Sony For the PS6, which should use a smaller APU (around 280 mm²) focused on the mass market, with an estimated price between US$500 and US$600 (approximately R$2.500 to R$3.000). In addition to the robust hardware, the system of Helix It will act as a "reference," being licensed so that brands like ASUS and MSI can launch their own consoles. Development kits are expected in 2027.

What do you expect from this rebranding of XboxDo you believe this could cause the ecosystem Want to regain relevance with exclusives? Tell us in the comments! Comment!

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With information: Xbox Wire

Text review done by Jaime Ninice on 24/05/2026