Asha Sharma

CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Microsoft

Search every verified Asha Sharma interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In an interview with the BBC at Gamescom, Asha Sharma, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, discussed the challenges facing the gaming hardware industry, citing rising component costs partly driven by AI spending as a "crisis." She stated that for the next generation of Xbox consoles, the company needs to prioritize "efficiency and affordability alongside performance," and she described gaming as "the proving ground for the GPU." Sharma also said that gamers will soon be able to access digital versions of many physical games they own, which could allow them to play older titles on future consoles without a disc drive. Sharma also addressed the company's long-term strategy, saying that gaming is "on the cusp of becoming the most important form of entertainment for the next century" and that Xbox is taking a "100-year view." She stated that the company is not retreating, noting a record spend in content and services last year that they plan to match, and mentioned that Xbox has more than 100 million players today.