"Xbox, like a lot of businesses that aren't the core AI business, is being sunsetted. They don't say that, but that's what's happening."
This is the frankly brutal take of original Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley, who believes that the Team in Green's recent leadership change all comes down to Microsoft's continued chase of an AI-based future.
Indeed, Blackley pulls no punches in a fresh interview with GamesBeat. Although he hasn't worked under Microsoft for over 20 years, the industry veteran is dead-set in his perspective, and offers up a slew of damning quotes.
For starters, he describes new Xbox boss Asha Sharma as "a palliative care doctor who slides Xbox gently into the night".
Blackley points the finger at Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who, you may have heard, is basically all-in on the use of AI to further the corporation's technological goals.
"Satya is holding a hammer and everything is a nail. There's a nail with an Xbox logo on it. He's applying the AI person to it. He has to show shareholders and the press and the world that he is all-in on this investment," he explains.
Blackley continues: "He has to show them that he believes generative AI is going to fix games and make it profitable. He has to make this move. It doesn't matter what you think about it. I don't think he had any choice"
Sharma's role is already being scrutinised based on her background in AI. Although she's insisted that Xbox will avoid "soulless AI slop", her relative inexperience in the gaming sector perhaps makes her a questionable choice as the boss of a gaming platform.
And obviously, this all circles back to Blackley's point. He suggests that Sharma will gradually transform Xbox as we know it, until she can "bring gen-AI into a position to revolutionise games", in sync with Nadella's growing AI mandate.
The question, then, is what this could mean for Xbox. Blackley clearly believes that this appointment is the end of the brand as we know it, but right now, the platform holder seems intent on steadying the ship.
It's assumed, then, that Xbox will continue to port its Xbox Game Studios titles to PS5, and attempt to refocus on game development. But given the current state of Microsoft, It'll be very interesting to see if and when the company changes course.
What's your take on Xbox's change in leadership? Is this really the beginning of the end? Tell us you're sick and tired of hearing about AI initiatives in the comments section below.