Xbox says Satya Nadella sees gaming as a 10-year priority, with growth and pricing in focus

Xbox leadership says Microsoft still sees gaming as a long-term priority. In a recent interview, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella described Xbox as a “very critical” audience and category for the company, with a 10-year view in mind. She also said the team wants Xbox to return to growth next year.

According to the interview with Game File, Sharma and Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty are focused on growing daily players across the Xbox ecosystem. That lines up with Microsoft’s recent shift back to Xbox branding and its stated focus on daily active players rather than broader Microsoft Gaming messaging.

Sharma also pointed to pricing as one area Microsoft needs to improve. She said Xbox pricing “hasn’t been as flexible” historically and referenced the company’s recent Game Pass price changes as a response to player feedback. She didn’t promise any specific hardware or service price points, but said affordability is still part of the plan as Xbox works on future hardware and services.

That matters because Microsoft is still talking about new console hardware internally, including the next Xbox platform often referred to as Project Helix. Sharma didn’t share any launch timing or specs here, so for now this is more about direction than product news.

Booty, meanwhile, said Xbox is trying to adjust to changing player habits, especially around social play, accessibility, and the balance between serving longtime players and making games easier to get into for newcomers. In plain terms, Microsoft seems to be chasing a bigger audience while trying not to lose the core crowd.

There’s not much concrete news beyond that. No new hardware details, no new subscription tiers, and no release dates. But the interview does make one thing pretty clear: Microsoft wants Xbox to grow again, and it sees pricing, Game Pass, and future hardware as big parts of that push.