{"rewrite":{"id":"r_42aad6d0f14d8977433ca968","clusterId":"c_00ab84faf9134b6902d93011","slug":"xbox-ceo-asha-sharma-says-division-is-not-for-sale","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Xbox CEO Asha Sharma Says Division Is Not for Sale","summary":"Asha Sharma, CEO of Xbox, told The New York Times in an interview published September 30 that the division will not be sold, directly addressing rumors that followed the company's large-scale reorganization. Sharma took over the gaming division in February 2026 after Phil Spencer stepped down. Under the \"Xbox Reset,\" the company announced layoffs of about 1,600 people in July and said it would cut roughly 3,200 people this fiscal year. She said Xbox will proceed from a long-term perspective and will consider the right partners and operating model. Sharma also addressed the partnership with Kojima Productions on the new action espionage title PHYSINT, saying she is pleased Hideo Kojima chose to work with Xbox. She said the cooperative relationship with Sony will continue and that competition and collaboration can coexist.","whyItMatters":"The public denial arrives as Xbox is absorbing roughly 3,200 layoffs this fiscal year and, per people familiar with the PHYSINT deal, has agreed to fund that title well below its normal major-game budget, so the sale question is being answered while the spending cuts are still in motion.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003e\u0026#34;Xbox is not for sale. We will do whatever is necessary to lead the business to success,\u0026#34; Sharma told The New York Times. She pushed back against reading the \u0026#34;Xbox Reset\u0026#34; as a withdrawal from Microsoft\u0026#39;s gaming business, saying, \u0026#34;Xbox will walk a long road together with Microsoft. We intend to approach this from a long-term perspective.\u0026#34;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn PHYSINT, the deal is not an ordinary publishing contract. The agreement came in \u0026#34;significantly below the amount Xbox normally invests in developing major games,\u0026#34; and it carries the rights to produce a TV show and a film based on the title. The project had been with Sony Interactive Entertainment until that partnership dissolved in September 2026.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSharma also said the wider industry needs structural change, telling the paper, \u0026#34;I think this industry will need to fundamentally change its existing structures.\u0026#34;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKojima Productions answered the speculation on September 20, saying the reporting behind it was not based on official or documented sources. The studio said it is healthy and profitable, that PHYSINT development is progressing smoothly with Xbox, and that its relationship with PlayStation remains strong.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Asha Sharma's answer on the sale question came with a hedge: Xbox will weigh the right partners and operating model. That leaves the door open to the structural change the denial rules out.","twitterPost":"Sharma ruled out a sale, then said Xbox will weigh the right partners and operating model. The second half is the flexible part.","threadsPost":"Asha Sharma told The New York Times Xbox is not for sale, but the same answer adds that the division will consider the right partners and operating model. The denial settles ownership while leaving the structure open, which matters after 1,600 layoffs in July and 3,200 planned cuts this fiscal year.","newsletterBlurb":"Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told The New York Times the division is not for sale, answering rumors that surfaced after the Xbox Reset and thousands of layoffs. She also discussed the Kojima Productions partnership on PHYSINT and said competition and collaboration with Sony can coexist.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20261001-471047/\",\"title\":\"Xbox Boss Directly Denies 'Xbox Division Sale Rumors,' Says It's 'Not for Sale'\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/10/01/172994.html\",\"title\":\"Xbox's Asha Sharma Says Sony and Xbox 'Competition and Collaboration Can Coexist' - Expresses Joy Over Kojima Partnership on 'PHYSINT,' Denies Xbox Business Sale\"},{\"source\":\"GameBusiness.jp\",\"url\":\"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/10/01/28194.html\",\"title\":\"Xbox's Asha Sharma Says Sony and Xbox 'Competition and Collaboration Can Coexist' - Expresses Joy Over Kojima Contract for 'PHYSINT,' Denies Xbox Business Sale\"},{\"source\":\"GIGAZINE\",\"url\":\"https://gigazine.net/news/20261002-xbox-is-not-for-sale/\",\"title\":\"Amid Ongoing Studio Closures and Layoffs, CEO Says \\\"XBOX Is Not for Sale\\\"\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":16331,"outputTokens":1373,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1791056388,"createdAt":"2026-10-03T19:36:17.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-03T19:38:21.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-03T19:38:21.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_00ab84faf9134b6902d93011","canonicalTitle":"スタジオ閉鎖や人員削減が続く中「XBOXは売りに出さない」とCEOが発言","representativeArticleId":"a_e0d28837f49fba01215b93ef","sourceCount":4,"writtenSourceCount":4,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"PHYSINT\"],\"studios\":[\"Kojima Productions\"],\"people\":[\"Asha Sharma\",\"Hideo Kojima\",\"Phil Spencer\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-10-02T03:31:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-10-02T03:31:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-03T19:38:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20261001-471047/","title":"XBOXのボスが“XBOX部門売却の噂”を真っ向から否定。「売り物じゃない」として"},{"source":"GIGAZINE","url":"https://gigazine.net/news/20261002-xbox-is-not-for-sale/","title":"スタジオ閉鎖や人員削減が続く中「XBOXは売りに出さない」とCEOが発言"},{"source":"GameBusiness.jp","url":"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/10/01/28194.html","title":"XBOXのアーシャ・シャルマ氏、ソニーと「競争と協調は共存できる」と言及―『PHYSINT』での小島監督との契約に喜び、XBOXの事業売却は否定"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/10/01/172994.html","title":"XBOXのアーシャ・シャルマ氏、ソニーと「競争と協調は共存できる」と言及―『PHYSINT』での小島監督との契約に喜び、XBOXの事業売却は否定"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["PHYSINT"],"studios":["Kojima Productions"],"people":["Asha Sharma","Hideo Kojima","Phil Spencer"],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Asha Sharma became CEO of Xbox in February 2026 after Phil Spencer stepped down.","Xbox announced layoffs of approximately 1,600 people in July and said it would cut roughly 3,200 people this fiscal year.","Sharma told The New York Times in an interview published September 30 that \"Xbox is not for sale.\"","Kojima Productions said on September 20 that development of PHYSINT is progressing smoothly with Xbox and that its relationship with PlayStation remains strong."]}