One of the first things that Xbox CEO Asha Sharma did after ascending to her position was to unveil the next Xbox, Project Helix. Although Microsoft has yet to disclose pricing details, early estimates suggest that Project Helix may cost $900 or more. Now, Sharma has indicated that Xbox may have to embrace “radically different” plans to thrive in the future.
“I think what is needed for console, rather than just the most premium, high-performance console in the world … we’ve reached a point where it will be hard to imagine that mass audiences can afford thousands of dollars to spend on a console,” said Sharma during a recent live event hosted by Fortune. “So I think we will start to see radically different business models that we never expected start to come into orbit later this year.”
Sharma has previously acknowledged some disappointing numbers from Xbox’s most recent financial year, and she offered another frank assessment of the business during her on-stage conversation.
“It’s hard to find examples of platforms out there that don’t have exclusive services and content,” noted Sharma. “And so this is a journey for us. Our business isn’t particularly healthy, as you noted, and so we’re starting by introducing one to two signature exclusives. And as the business is healthy, we will look to try and do more.”
That ties into the decision to make Gears of War: E-Day an Xbox console exclusive. Clockwork Revolution has also been confirmed to only appear on Xbox and PC.
There’s still a broader question of whether Xbox can be saved regardless of Sharma’s new initiative. Microsoft’s current console generation is lagging far behind Sony’s PlayStation 5, and that means exclusives like E-Day may sell considerably fewer copies than cross-platform titles like Halo: Campaign Evolved and the eventual port of Forza Horizon 6.