Xbox Next-Gen: Hardware Remains Key, Says Xbox President Sarah Bond

Xbox remains committed to dedicated gaming hardware, according to a recent interview with Xbox President Sarah Bond, despite recent sales declines and a broader industry shift towards multi-platform gaming. The company is actively developing its next-generation console, reaffirming that hardware will remain “absolutely central” to its strategy.

Sales of the Xbox Series consoles have continued to fall, even as Microsoft increasingly positions itself as a multi-platform publisher with its Play Anywhere program. This led to speculation in early October that the next generation of Xbox could be in jeopardy.

However, Microsoft quickly responded with a denial, stating its continued commitment to dedicated hardware and the next-generation console currently referred to as Xbox Next. That commitment was further reinforced by Xbox President Sarah Bond in a recent interview.

Bond: Console is “Absolutely Central” to the Xbox Experience

In a conversation with Fortune (via Insider Gaming), Bond made it clear that Microsoft will not abandon the console business despite speculation. This signals the company’s continued belief in the importance of dedicated gaming devices alongside its growing software and cloud offerings.

Bond, who has been in her role since October 2023 and reports directly to Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, emphasized: “Hardware is absolutely central to everything we do at Xbox, because we know that our most valuable players, the people who love Xbox, love the hardware experience. That’s why we’re working on our next generation of hardware.”

She also promised that the next Xbox generation will deliver “a powerful experience” and allow players to “take their library with them.”

“What’s really important here is that people want to play their library on the console, but they also want to play on PC or stream through the cloud. The Xbox experience starts with the console, but then gives people something they can experience on all screens when they want, by taking their library, their community, their identity, and the store with them everywhere,” Bond explained.

Strategic Shift: Bond Acknowledges Challenges in Brand Transformation

The interview also touched on Microsoft’s ongoing strategic shift away from a sole focus on hardware and exclusive games towards multi-platform gaming. Bond acknowledged that this transition has been “difficult,” given the deep connection many players have with the Xbox brand.

“We’re approaching our 25th anniversary, and the people who play Xbox love Xbox. Our players really care about what Xbox is. It has a lot of meaning for them, and changing that is hard,” Bond said.

However, she also made it clear that “there are things coming in the future that you have to invest in to secure the long-term health and growth of the brand.” She also noted the company recognizes “that there are players who really love what Xbox is right now.”

“We’re relentlessly looking at the core metrics for the health of the business: how many people are playing, what our playtime is, what people are buying, and what people are subscribing to. Listening to both what people are saying and how they’re behaving is the way we continuously make changes, adjustments, and learn,” Bond added.

The timing of the next Xbox release remains unconfirmed, but Bond has indicated it will be a premium product. Late October, Bond previewed a high-end platform that would offer “a very high-quality, very premium, curated experience” – and likely come with a corresponding price tag.