{"rewrite":{"id":"r_a46c7ae3d4da9e5a29ad5673","clusterId":"c_9aae308f97ab8fe93abc8fcb","slug":"xbox-ceo-asha-sharma-halts-ai-integration-game-pass-grows-after-100-days","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma Halts Direct AI Integration, Game Pass Grows After 8 Months","summary":"Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who took the position in February 2026, gave a Bloomberg interview marking her first 100 days. She said she halted plans to integrate Microsoft's AI Copilot directly into Xbox because players were not excited about that experience. Sharma stated she is not against AI but wants it used behind the scenes, such as for prototyping or upscaling graphics. She also revealed that component costs for next-generation consoles have surged 2.75 times due to global AI demand, rising 50% in just her first 100 days, and said Xbox needs to fundamentally change its innovation and business model. Sharma acknowledged that Game Pass had been declining for eight months but has returned to growth after recent price adjustments. She described Xbox as not in a healthy state, citing declining sales and rising costs, and said the next 100 days will focus on resetting the business. As a symbolic move, she appointed a well-known game analyst who had been a harsh critic of Xbox as an advisor. Sharma appeared at the Xbox Industry Mixer pre-show event on June 6, ahead of the Xbox Games Showcase scheduled for June 8.","whyItMatters":"Sharma's public admission that Xbox is unhealthy and her decision to reverse a Nadella-backed AI policy signal a break from the previous leadership's approach, prioritizing player experience over corporate AI directives.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eSharma, who came to Xbox from Instacart, Meta, and Microsoft's AI division, appeared at the Xbox Industry Mixer pre-show event on June 6 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. She posed for photos with the original Xbox prototype \"Big X,\" created by Bill Gates, and with the Master Chief from \"Halo.\" She exchanged brief greetings with attendees and left after about an hour. Her predecessor Phil Spencer, a founding member of the original Xbox team who oversaw acquisitions including Mojang and launched Game Pass, left suddenly in February.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSharma said the $70 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition was decided \"before the advent of ChatGPT\" and \"in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,\" and that the market has changed significantly since then. She still values the power of IPs like Call of Duty and Candy Crush. She described new-generation gamers as wanting to play anywhere in short sessions, different from traditional users, and suggested the next Xbox will explore new delivery forms beyond existing hardware.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Xbox Games Showcase is scheduled for June 8 at 2:00 AM JST, with a concurrent community event called Xbox FanFest. This year's Direct focuses on \"Gears of War.\" A photo booth with the chainsaw-equipped Lancer rifle from \"Gears of War: E-Day\" was set up at the Mixer. Wristbands at the event flashed in Xbox colors as a 25th anniversary special edition. The showcase is the first in-person event in two years.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Xbox CEO Asha Sharma says she halted direct AI integration into Xbox because players weren't excited, even though Microsoft CEO Nadella pushes company-wide Copilot adoption.","twitterPost":"Sharma: Xbox is not healthy. Component costs up 2.75x from AI demand. Game Pass grew for first time in 8 months. Next 100 days are about resetting the business.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Xbox CEO Asha Sharma gave a candid Bloomberg interview at the 100-day mark, halting direct AI integration, revealing a 2.75x surge in component costs, and declaring Xbox unhealthy. Game Pass returned to growth after eight months of decline. She also appointed a harsh critic as advisor.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/06/05/167427.html\",\"title\":\"New Xbox CEO Reflects on First 100 Days: Halts Direct AI Integration, Game Pass Grows for First Time in 8 Months, Discusses Counterattack from 'Unhealthy' Situation\"},{\"source\":\"GameBusiness.jp\",\"url\":\"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/06/06/27134.html\",\"title\":\"New Xbox CEO Reflects on First 100 Days: Halting Direct AI Integration, Game Pass Growth After 8 Months, and Counterattack from an 'Unhealthy' State\"},{\"source\":\"GAME Watch (Impress)\",\"url\":\"https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/2115095.html\",\"title\":\"New XBOX CEO Asha Sharma Appears at XBOX Pre-Show Event [XGS]\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":14816,"outputTokens":1255,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1780633100,"createdAt":"2026-06-05T04:14:00.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-06-05T04:16:15.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-05T04:16:15.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_9aae308f97ab8fe93abc8fcb","canonicalTitle":"XBOX新CEOが就任から100日まで振り返る。「AI直接導入の中止」にGame Passが8か月ぶり成長―「健全ではない」現状からの反撃など語る","representativeArticleId":"a_eb263fc37ffe278a9e80863c","sourceCount":3,"writtenSourceCount":3,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"アーシャ・シャルマ\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"written","firstSeenAt":"2026-06-05T03:30:03.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-06-07T05:45:23.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-07T06:13:06.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"GAME Watch (Impress)","url":"https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/2115095.html","title":"XBOX前夜祭に、新XBOX CEOのAsha Sharma氏が登場【XGS】"},{"source":"GameBusiness.jp","url":"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/06/06/27134.html","title":"XBOX新CEOが就任から100日まで振り返る。「AI直接導入の中止」にGame Passが8か月ぶり成長―「健全ではない」現状からの反撃など語る"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/06/05/167427.html","title":"XBOX新CEOが就任から100日まで振り返る。「AI直接導入の中止」にGame Passが8か月ぶり成長―「健全ではない」現状からの反撃など語る"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":["アーシャ・シャルマ"],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}