Xbox CEO Denies Microsoft Is Selling The Brand In New Statement

Published Sep 30, 2026, 3:07 PM EDT Ben Brosofsky has been writing for Screen Rant since 2022 and editing since 2024. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor's in Cinema & Media Arts. Writing serves as a much-needed distraction from tackling a backlog of Steam games that will never be surmounted. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The future of Xbox has been under plenty of scrutiny recently, with an extensive series of lay-offs, studio closures, and aggressive restructuring moves changing the shape of the company in a radical way. One of the biggest concerns has been whether Xbox will remain under the Microsoft umbrella, as reports suggested that Xbox's struggle to achieve profitability might have Microsoft interested in divesting. Now, the current CEO, Asha Sharma, has officially chimed in on the topic. While the ultimate decision wouldn't lie with Sharma, her statement on the potential for Microsoft to sell off the Xbox brand doesn't make any concessions. In an interview with The New York Times, Asha Sharma responded to a question about the potential divestiture of Xbox by asserting that "Xbox is not for sale." She followed the statement by explaining the overall game plan, saying that Xbox "will do whatever it takes to set the company up for success, and [Xbox] will look at the right partnerships, the right operating model and everything needed to achieve that." Notably, this doesn't necessarily confirm that the threat of divestiture is nonexistent for Xbox. The question posed to Sharma apparently dealt with "her endgame at Xbox," so her response primarily confirms that her personal goal is to maintain Xbox's status as a Microsoft subsidiary. While her statement that "Xbox is not for sale," seems emphatic, it doesn't come with a guarantee that it won't be in the future. Regardless, Xbox fans will likely be happy to know that the company is aggressively pursuing an effective operating model, although the recent lay-offs have made it clear that the cost of doing so may be high. Xbox has downsized legendary studios like id Software, while the critically reliable Lyon branch of Arkane Studios is currently facing an uncertain fate as it goes through French legal proceedings for divestiture. Projects have also been bandied around between studios, with Obsidian Entertainment taking up the Fallout torch once more and Halo being passed to Activision Blizzard. Ultimately, Sharma is looking to the brand's future rather than dwelling exclusively on its current struggles. In the New York Times interview, she notes that Xbox has "a long way to go with Microsoft" and suggests that taking "the long-term view" is appropriate. Even at the moment, it's not all bad, with Sharma citing "500 million players every single month" as proof that Xbox is relevant. While I'm still mourning the loss of projects like the canceled Perfect Dark reboot, there's a lot to look forward to in Xbox's future, including the recent acquisition of Hideo Kojima's Physint. Hopefully, Xbox will ultimately find its way without continuing to intensify the human cost of its changes. Xbox Founded November 15, 2001 Owner Microsoft Known For Halo, Forza, Gears of War