Xbox CEO Leaves First-Party Exclusivity Unsettled After 100 Days as She Rejects 30% Margin Goal
Updated
Updated · Eurogamer.net · Jun 5
Xbox CEO Leaves First-Party Exclusivity Unsettled After 100 Days as She Rejects 30% Margin Goal
3 articles · Updated · Eurogamer.net · Jun 5
Summary
More than 100 days into the job, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said Microsoft still has no blanket rule on first-party exclusives, arguing each title will be decided case by case.
Bloomberg Tech Live put the tension plainly: Sharma said Xbox is the No. 2 publisher and needs broad distribution, but as a platform it also needs exclusive content.
No major shift has followed her early promises to “return to Xbox” — PS5 releases already announced remain intact, and there is little sign unannounced first-party games will become Xbox-and-PC-only.
One clearer policy change has been financial: Sharma said Xbox is not being held to Microsoft’s usual 30% software margin target, a benchmark previously tied in reports to layoffs and wider multiplatform publishing.
That leaves Xbox’s strategy centered on growth over a fixed profitability bar, while its exclusivity policy remains unresolved despite renewed emphasis on hardware and platform identity.