Asha Sharma's July 30 memo puts the game at the center of Xbox's recovery plan after admitting the company massively underinvested in it for years. The roadmap calls for heavier spending on creation tools, sharing features, and global expansion to hit double digit player growth and beat rivals on margins.
Xbox has a new boss and she just made it clear where the bets are going. Asha Sharma took over from Phil Spencer in February and has spent the year restructuring with layoffs, studio spin offs, and Game Pass price cuts. Her latest internal memo leaves no doubt that Minecraft is supposed to be the engine pulling the whole division out of its slump.
What the Memo Demands From Minecraft
Sharma wants to invest in the game more than ever. Specific goals include strengthening player experiences and expanding tools so creators can build audiences and actually earn from their work. The broader aim is turning Minecraft into the world’s leading creator platform while using it to drive engagement across consoles, mobile, and new markets including potential China partnerships.
This builds on a July restructuring where Mojang now reports directly to Sharma alongside King. Both are highlighted as platform plays that deliver scale and diversity the rest of Xbox lacks. The timing matters. Xbox just posted a 10 percent revenue drop for Q2.
The Numbers and the Reality Check
The targets sound aggressive: double digit growth in daily players and revenue, industry leading margins by mid 2030, and hitting halfway to long term player goals by the end of FY27. That comes after cutting 2.1 percent of the workforce and divesting four studios. Minecraft is not just along for the ride. It is supposed to be a big part of the solution.
- Expand creation sharing and monetization tools for creators
- Strengthen cross platform experiences and global reach
- Leverage the game alongside King for casual audience growth
- Deliver sustained double digit engagement gains by 2030
Creators and players should watch what actually ships. More marketplace pushes or incremental updates would feel like the same old story. Real investment would look like faster feature velocity, better modding support on Bedrock and Java, or infrastructure that makes community servers easier to run at scale. The memo at least proves the C suite knows the current pace is not enough.