XBOX has apparently created real accountability from their game studios since Asha Sharma took over.
Sebastian Herrera wrote a new feature on Fortune on what’s happening in XBOX. While some of his claims in this feature were just debunked by XBOX themselves, he also interviewed people in the company.
Sebastian’s report says this:
Another noticeable shift has been to steer financial resources away from smaller studios toward those that make Xbox’s most iconic franchises, with the goal of more frequent major releases.
…Brian Fargo, a game designer who is developing the upcoming first-person role-playing game Clockwork Revolution, told Fortune that under Sharma, studios must present a clear, commercial “investable business case” rather than expecting blank-check funding.
Sebastian also wrote about plans for continuing layoffs, with Sharma asserting that she values people and doesn’t intend to be transactional. This sheds light on how Asha has been able to justify these layoffs, not just with Xbox fans or management, but the employees themselves.
Sebastian reports that employees are demoralized, but they do appreciate Asha’s transparency. Presumably, this will get XBOX developers to deliver good and popular games on time and budget.
