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Xbox Wants to Eventually Reach More Than a Billion People Each Day, Asha Sharma Tells Staff the Target Is to Get Halfway There by 2030
Xbox chief Asha Sharma has told employees that Microsoft aims to reach 500 million daily users by the 2030 financial year, as an interim step towards eventually engaging more than one billion people each day. The target is significant because Xbox currently reaches just over 100 million daily users and its gaming revenue has fallen, meaning the company must greatly expand both its audience and profitability.
The plan follows job cuts affecting 1,600 Xbox staff, with a further 1,600 expected this financial year, and the closure of four studios. Microsoft intends to concentrate on major franchises including Call of Duty, Minecraft, Candy Crush, Fallout and Halo, while extending them into film, television, consumer products, live events and global partnerships, including in China. Xbox revenue fell 10% in the quarter to 30 June and 7% year-on-year in fiscal 2026, or about $1.7 billion; Sharma said the business expects to return to growth by the end of fiscal 2027.
In short
- Xbox targets 500 million daily users by 2030.
- Revenue has fallen despite audience growth.
- Microsoft is focusing investment on major franchises.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Aiming for a much larger daily audience could help Xbox turn its games and franchises into a more sustainable business, spreading development costs across more players and creating new sources of revenue. Focusing investment on established series and expanding them across platforms and media may give more people ways to engage with the games, while growth could support future investment and jobs.
The case against
A billion-user ambition risks treating reach as more important than the quality and variety of games, or the communities that make them valuable. With revenue falling, studios closing and thousands of jobs affected, concentrating resources on a small number of major franchises may deepen concerns that cost-cutting and commercial expansion are taking priority over creative risk and long-term trust.
Explained simply
Xbox is Microsoft’s gaming business, spanning its consoles, games, studios and services such as Game Pass. Its audience also includes people who play Microsoft-owned games on PCs, phones and other platforms, so the company’s reach is wider than Xbox console ownership alone.
Microsoft owns franchises including Call of Duty, Minecraft, Candy Crush, Fallout and Halo. These games are made by teams across a large group of studios, and can reach audiences through consoles, computers, mobile phones and other media.
The company is trying to grow its gaming audience while improving the business’s financial performance. Changes to staffing and studio ownership, alongside plans to expand major franchises into areas such as film and live events, form part of that wider effort.