{
  "id": 17052491,
  "title": "Asha Sharma Insists There's 'More Demand Than Consoles Available' as Xbox Hardware Sales Continue to Plummet",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/asha-sharma-insists-theres-more-demand-than-consoles-available-as",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-29T10:47:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IGN",
    "slug": "ign",
    "url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/asha-sharma-insists-theres-more-demand-than-consoles-available-as-xbox-hardware-sales-continue-to-plummet"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Asha Sharma, the CEO of Xbox, has insisted that demand for the console far exceeds the available supply, despite a significant drop in hardware sales. This comes as Microsoft's gaming segment enters a critical period ahead of the holiday season. Even though Microsoft reported a 2% decline in Xbox revenue for the quarter ending September 30, 2026, compared to the previous quarter's 10% drop, Sharma remains optimistic about the future.\n\nContent and services revenue for Xbox also decreased, with both third-party content and Xbox Game Pass experiencing declines. However, growth in first-party content partially offset these losses. Xbox hardware sales saw a 14% decrease, and the boss of Xbox emphasized that supply constraints are the primary reason behind the struggle.\n\nSharma acknowledged that the Xbox \"accountability margin,\" or profit margin, improved this quarter, attributing the improvement to her restructuring efforts. These efforts involved job cuts, the departure of multiple studios, and the shutdown of various projects, all aimed at enhancing the \"accountability margin\" figure.\n\nDespite the financial challenges, Sharma is confident in Xbox's potential. She highlighted that major franchises like Minecraft, Fallout, and The Elder Scrolls have set records, and Call of Duty has had its most acclaimed release in over a decade. Xbox is also focusing on boosting PC platform revenue, which grew by double digits.\n\nHowever, Sharma is keenly aware of the current supply issues, stating that console sales remain constrained by availability, with more demand than consoles on hand. She mentioned that Xbox is working to increase console distribution through an expanded refurbishment program and expressed optimism about future sales, particularly with the release of GTA 6 in November, which could significantly boost demand.",
  "summary": "The boss of Xbox has insisted that sales of the console are constrained by supply and that there is “more demand than consoles available,” as Microsoft’s gaming business heads into the crucial holiday season.",
  "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."
}