According to a report from The Information, Microsoft Gaming’s new CEO, Asha Sharma, has abruptly canceled the ‘This is an Xbox’ marketing campaign, originally championed by Phil Spencer. Within weeks of her appointment, nearly all traces of the campaign have reportedly been removed from official channels. A source, described as having ‘direct knowledge’ of the matter, indicates a clear intention to end the confusion caused by the previous communication strategy and redefine the brand’s identity. While maintaining the core ‘Play Anywhere’ strategy, Sharma is reportedly making a strong push to revive hardware sales, an area where Xbox has not surpassed its competitors since 2008 and currently appears significantly weaker.
New Strategies Unveiled
During her initial internal meeting with other executives, Sharma reportedly outlined an ambitious objective: to transform Xbox into the ‘reference console,’ making it the benchmark for the entire market. According to general manager Chris Charla, this vision had an immediate positive effect on the team: “It resonated very well. People went from being quite nervous, wondering ‘what’s going on?’, to breathing a sigh of relief by the end of the day.”
This new strategic direction follows a turbulent period for the division. Sharma was personally selected by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to replace Phil Spencer, who resigned last month. Shortly thereafter, Sarah Bond also departed; she was considered one of the primary architects of the controversial advertising campaign and had faced criticism both internally and from the community. A former employee described Bond’s management style: “If you didn’t follow the vision or questioned it, you were out.”
Sharma appears to be adopting a different approach. As Vice President Jason Ronald emphasizes, the new CEO aims to “preserve what makes Xbox great, but at the same time is willing to question everything,” thereby avoiding biases that can develop after years in the same industry. Among the strategic priorities is also Project Helix, a future hybrid platform on which the group’s efforts will be concentrated.