Xbox CEO Asha Sharma defines what “Open Platform” actually means for the future

Xbox’s new CEO has finally put a definition to one of her buzzwords, and it’s not quite what some were expecting.

Sharma’s vision

Since replacing Phil Spencer, Asha Sharma has moved quickly. Game Pass Ultimate got a price cut, the “This Is An Xbox” campaign got dropped, and “Microsoft Gaming” branding is on its way out. Her stated direction for the brand sits on three pillars: affordability, personalisation, and openness.

But when Game File’s Stephen Totilo pressed her on what “open” actually means, specifically whether that includes rival storefronts on hardware, Sharma kept it broad.

“We want the platform to be open for more people to create on the platform and more players to participate in customising and extending that,” she said.

The Xbox Ally question

The ROG Ally already ships with multiple storefronts, so it was the obvious follow-up. Sharma was upfront about not being part of those early conversations.

“We’ll make those decisions going forward as a team and with our partners. We’ll share more when we can.”

Vague? A little. But given how much has already changed under her watch, it’s probably worth taking that “we’ll share more” at face value.

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