2026 Could Very Well be Last Year of XBox, Microsoft Dropped the Ball
Having observed and written about XBox for about two decades, I know it never made much money. Microsoft spread it, even at a great loss (cost) to itself, just to gain some control over many people. The aim wasn't the same as Sony's or Nintendo's. It was motivated by a rogue ambition. It's still around, but workers dread the next giant wave of layoffs, having witnessed many of their colleagues axed. Just weeks from now there may be another giant wave of layoffs [1, 2] and today's news speaks of leadership shake-up and "fans’ faith [...] at an all-time low." [1,2]
It would be shocking is XBox can stage any kind of comeback. It's just losing a lot of money. █
Related/contextual items from the news:
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Xbox leadership gets a shake-up in 2026 — current CFO Tim Stuart transitions to COO of ZeniMax Media
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The year isn't quite over, but there's a small shake-up coming to the Xbox division's leadership next year.
Sources tell Windows Central that Tim Stuart, the chief financial officer (CFO) of Microsoft Gaming, will be stepping into a new role as chief operating officer (COO) of ZeniMax Media, the publisher responsible for Bethesda Softworks-published titles such as DOOM, The Elder Scrolls, and Fallout.
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Xbox Has Clear Next-Gen Decision to Make, 'Merger has to Happen'
It’s not exactly been a great year for the Xbox brand. Between layoffs, poor sales, Xbox Game Pass price increases, and Microsoft execs’ obsession with AI, fans’ faith in the next-gen follow-up to the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X is at an all-time low.