{
  "id": 12605793,
  "title": "\"After an all-time low, we've started to return to growth\" - Asha Sharma touts Xbox turnaround after drastic restructuring and many hundreds of layoffs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/after-an-all-time-low-weve-started-to-return-to-growth-asha-sharma",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-07T10:24:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Eurogamer",
    "slug": "eurogamer",
    "url": "https://www.eurogamer.net/xbox-asha-sharma-growth-restructuring-layoffs"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Xbox head Asha Sharma announced that the gaming division has begun to recover after a period of financial decline. Sharma revealed that extensive restructuring and over 1,800 job cuts have led to a turnaround, with more revenue and player activity compared to last year. She highlighted the strong starts of games like Gears of War: E-Day, Minecraft Dungeons 2, and World of Warcraft: Forever as contributors to Xbox's resurgence.\n\nSharma also addressed the challenges that Xbox faced at the start of the year, including a decline in hours played, player numbers, and revenue. She indicated that the current situation has stabilized, with the decline in hours played now appearing to level off. In relation to Xbox Game Pass, Sharma criticized the company's previous strategy of including Call of Duty titles on day one. This move led to increased profitability issues, prompting a price increase in 2025 and subsequent price cuts in 2026.\n\nDuring a town hall meeting, Sharma emphasized the company's mission to be where the world plays. She expressed confidence in achieving a billion daily active users and reiterated the need to focus on fans and franchises. Additionally, Sharma discussed Xbox's broader strategy with Project Helix, the next-generation console. She reaffirmed that Helix will be a family of devices and teased plans to expand into the handheld market, expanding beyond the ROG Ally X. Despite a turbulent year, Sharma's leadership has led to positive developments in Xbox's return to growth.",
  "summary": "Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has reportedly told the company that Xbox has \"started to return to growth\" following wide-ranging restructuring that has reorganised the gaming division and resulted in more than 1,800 job losses. Read more",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}