Microsoft’s new gaming boss ‘retired’ This Is An Xbox campaign

Microsoft has confirmed new gaming boss Asha Sharma scrapped its divisive “This Is An Xbox” campaign.

Microsoft has confirmed new gaming boss Asha Sharma scrapped its divisive “This Is An Xbox” campaign.

The tech giant’s series of ads launched in 2024 under former Xbox president Sarah Bond, and sought to convince customers that the platform didn’t need the traditional console, as it was accessible on everything from laptops to mobile.

The fanbase and many employees were reportedly disgruntled with the campaign, and new CEO of Microsoft Gaming Asha Sharma was keen to “retire” the ads after taking over from Bond earlier this year.

A spokesperson for Microsoft told Windows Central: “Asha retired ‘This is an Xbox’ because it didn’t feel like Xbox.

“She is personally leading a reset of how we show up as a brand.”

Websites promoting the campaign had been shuttered, and now it’s been confirmed that Sharma was behind the decision when she took over from previous Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer after his retirement.

When she was announced as Spencer’s replacement, she vowed to “celebrate our roots with a renewed commitment to Xbox starting with console which has shaped who we are”.

She also faced scrutiny over how heavily AI might influence the company’s future direction.

Speaking alongside newly promoted Chief Content Officer Matt Booty, Sharma made clear that creative integrity will remain central to Xbox.

She told Windows Central: “I think that with any new technology, it brings possibilities as a tool, but even more important, especially now – we need to draw lines on what we won’t do.

“That’s what I attempted to do when I shared my opening letter. I will not flood our ecosystem with slop.”

She added: “We won’t have careless output, we won’t have derivative work. I deeply believe in the words that I shared previously there.”