Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden has shared his thoughts on Xbox’s latest round of struggles and identity crises. And it is safe to say he not exactly sound convinced that Microsoft’s gaming leadership known what it is doing.
Layden recently responded to a post on LinkedIn from game designer and consultant Tadhg Kelly, who shared multiple decisions from the company that showed how it is stuck in an identity crises made worse by contradictory messaging, executive changes, financial pressure, studio closures, and repeated promises of a reset that might not work the way they hope it would.
At the risk of sounding like a ‘hater’ (which, I’m really not), the moves evince a basic misunderstanding of how the interactive entertainment world moves, Layden wrote. IYKYK, which also means if you don’t you don’t.
Fairly brutal assessment I would say.
And coming from someone who once ran PlayStation and gave the company some of the most successful years. Layden is not just questioning one bad decision from Microsoft but whether the people running Xbox actually understand how the gaming business works. Harsh thing to say but at point it is a fair question to ask; do they even know what they are doing? Plethora of people are about to lose their jobs because of the decisions made by Xbox leadership.
The comment arrives at an especially awkward moment for Microsoft’s gaming business. Asha Sharma took over as CEO of Microsoft Gaming in February following Phil Spencer’s retirement, promising urgency, clarity, and a return to the “renegade spirit” that originally built Xbox. Since then, the company has been talking openly about resetting a business that Sharma reportedly described as being “not in a healthy spot.”
Xbox has warned its employees that its current financial direction cannot continue. Microsoft CEO recently state that they need to make Xbox a sustainable business, and in an internal memo Asha Sharma revealed that her division has fallen to a measly 3% accountability margin.
Now, reports claim a major layoff wave is about to his Xbox studios once Microsoft’s fiscal year ends on June 30th. Internal discussions around turning Xbox into a wholly owned subsidiary or spinning off the business are reported in the media as well.
None of that means Sharma caused Xbox’s problems. She inherited a division shaped by years of acquisitions, shifting platform strategies, declining console sales, canceled projects, and damaged morale. It appears as if she was given the keys to a fallen kingdom and asked to rebuild it with little to no resources but all the blame if things fall apart completely.
Sharma is now responsible for convincing employees and players that this “reset” is not just a corporate rebrand followed by a round of job cuts. That is where Layden’s comment hits hardest. Xbox keeps saying it understands the problem. A former PlayStation boss is suggesting the decisions themselves prove otherwise.
Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden has shared his thoughts on Xbox’s latest round of struggles and identity crises. And it is safe to say he not exactly sound convinced that Microsoft’s gaming leadership known what it is doing.
Layden recently responded to a post on LinkedIn from game designer and consultant Tadhg Kelly, who shared multiple decisions from the company that showed how it is stuck in an identity crises made worse by contradictory messaging, executive changes, financial pressure, studio closures, and repeated promises of a reset that might not work the way they hope it would.
Fairly brutal assessment I would say.
And coming from someone who once ran PlayStation and gave the company some of the most successful years. Layden is not just questioning one bad decision from Microsoft but whether the people running Xbox actually understand how the gaming business works. Harsh thing to say but at point it is a fair question to ask; do they even know what they are doing? Plethora of people are about to lose their jobs because of the decisions made by Xbox leadership.
The comment arrives at an especially awkward moment for Microsoft’s gaming business. Asha Sharma took over as CEO of Microsoft Gaming in February following Phil Spencer’s retirement, promising urgency, clarity, and a return to the “renegade spirit” that originally built Xbox. Since then, the company has been talking openly about resetting a business that Sharma reportedly described as being “not in a healthy spot.”
Xbox has warned its employees that its current financial direction cannot continue. Microsoft CEO recently state that they need to make Xbox a sustainable business, and in an internal memo Asha Sharma revealed that her division has fallen to a measly 3% accountability margin.
Now, reports claim a major layoff wave is about to his Xbox studios once Microsoft’s fiscal year ends on June 30th. Internal discussions around turning Xbox into a wholly owned subsidiary or spinning off the business are reported in the media as well.
None of that means Sharma caused Xbox’s problems. She inherited a division shaped by years of acquisitions, shifting platform strategies, declining console sales, canceled projects, and damaged morale. It appears as if she was given the keys to a fallen kingdom and asked to rebuild it with little to no resources but all the blame if things fall apart completely.
Sharma is now responsible for convincing employees and players that this “reset” is not just a corporate rebrand followed by a round of job cuts. That is where Layden’s comment hits hardest. Xbox keeps saying it understands the problem. A former PlayStation boss is suggesting the decisions themselves prove otherwise.
Get an editor to proof-read your articles, bro!