New Xbox CEO with no gaming background promises next-gen console and speaks out against 'soulless AI slop'

Asha Sharma, who has just taken over as Microsoft Gaming CEO from Phil Spencer, published a letter to employees outlining her vision for "the return of Xbox" – with a clear focus on console hardware and original games.

We will celebrate our roots with a renewed commitment to Xbox starting with console which has shaped who we are. It connects us to the players and fans who invest in Xbox, and to the developers who build ambitious experiences for it.

The "this is an Xbox" mantra, she says, extends to future dedicated console hardware – against a backdrop of speculation that Microsoft is gradually moving away from the traditional console model, with no clear indication of how things will shake out.

That said, the Xbox everywhere-and-anywhere strategy isn't going anywhere. Sharma confirmed expansion across PC, mobile, and cloud, but stressed that the platform should feel "seamless and instant" regardless of the device.

Working alongside newly promoted chief content officer Matt Booty, the plan includes entering new genres and markets, developing new business models, and building tools that allow players and developers to create their own stories within existing universes.

Sharma also addressed generative AI – and did so more bluntly than you might expect from a Microsoft executive.

We will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop.

That's a striking contrast with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who publicly pushed back against the term "slop" in reference to AI-generated content in a late 2025 blog post.

Sharma's closing statement was even more direct:

Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans.

As with any declaration from a freshly appointed executive, actions will matter far more than words. What Xbox actually delivers will be the real measure of what Microsoft is after.