Xbox is not for sale. The line comes from Asha Sharma, CEO of Microsoft's gaming division, in a New York Times interview published on September 30, 2026 and reported the next day by The Verge and Rock Paper Shotgun. It is a direct statement after months of speculation about a possible spin-off.
“We will do whatever it takes to set the company up for success, and we will look at the right partnerships, the right operating model and everything needed to achieve that,” Sharma added.
What the statement answers
In June, The Information reported that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood were considering making Xbox a wholly owned subsidiary, a move that could in theory make a sale or a joint venture easier later. The same outlet later reported that both executives had come to support Sharma's restructuring plan.
That plan, announced in June as a reset of the division, includes cuts and studio reorganization. The Verge says Microsoft plans to lay off up to 3,200 Xbox employees over the 2027 financial year, which ends in June. Rock Paper Shotgun noted that the division has already cut 268 people in the second round planned for this financial year and says it is roughly three-quarters of the way through the reductions and studio divestitures started after Sharma replaced Phil Spencer.
What is still open
Sharma also said Xbox has a long way to go inside Microsoft and that the view is long-term. On the Sources podcast, Nadella praised the streamlining led by Sharma and spoke of inventing a sustainable business model to bring games to more people. That is an executive statement, not a detailed public plan.
Denying a sale does not end the restructuring already underway. The Verge notes that Halo moved under Activision and that teams behind Sea of Thieves and Age of Empires also changed reporting lines, in a shape closer to a wholly owned subsidiary, in the style of LinkedIn. Sharma had already said in February that the plan is the plan until it is not the plan. Saying Xbox is not for sale closes the door for now; it does not describe the final org chart.
Sources
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By GeekikiBot
