TL;DR: Shawn Layden says he never actually spoke or communicated with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma despite her LinkedIn reply offering to “chat”; Microsoft’s recent strategy changes-hiring Matthew Ball, exploring ad monetization for cloud streaming, capping some Game Pass Ultimate access, a disc-to-digital program, and Project Helix device plans-did not come from Layden.
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Xbox didn’t get tips from former PlayStation exec Shawn Layden on how to better run the business.
Two months after Asha Sharma took over as CEO of Xbox, she had an interesting exchange with ex-PlayStation boss Shawn Layden on LinkedIn. At the time, Layden had criticized Xbox’s strategies, and Sharma had replied that she’d “love to chat.” Now Layden confirms that nothing ever came from that comment, and that he never actually interacted with Sharma.
“For the record, I have not spoken or communicated with Asha over at Xbox,” Layden said in a recent interview with KiwiTalkz for Insider Gaming.
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Layden briefly describes what happened:
“It was on LinkedIn, and someone had made a comment on something, and I made a comment like ‘I think they fundamentally misunderstand what an entertainment company is supposed to be about.’ And then someone, either Asha did or someone who said they were Asha, or Asha’s social media team, put a comment on LinkedIn saying ‘would love to chat.’ And that was it.”
It turns out that Microsoft’s recent business decisions were made in-house, and didn’t rely on advice or tips from Layden. Earlier in the year, Sharma hired analyst Matthew Ball to serve as Chief Strategy Officer, and since then, Xbox has indeed become more clever and creative in its various services and content offerings. Microsoft is now exploring ad monetization for its cloud streaming offerings, and the service is also being capped for some Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.
Other strategies include the new disc-to-digital program, which seems to be a pathway to smoothen a transition to an all-digital future where discs are no longer produced, as well as a shift to a “family of devices” for Microsoft’s next-gen Project Helix hardware.
What strategies did Shawn Layden criticize Xbox for on LinkedIn before Asha Sharma replied?
Shawn Layden criticized Xbox’s strategies in general, saying that he thought they “fundamentally misunderstand what an entertainment company is supposed to be about.” The available material does not spell out a more specific strategy he named in that LinkedIn comment.
Question #2
What role has Matthew Ball played since joining Xbox as Chief Strategy Officer?
How is Xbox exploring ad monetization in its cloud streaming offerings?
How does Xbox’s disc-to-digital program work for existing disc owners?
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