Xbox head denies rumors of company sale - "Xbox is not for sale"

Xbox Is Not for Sale, Says Division Head Asha Sharma

Asha Sharma, who leads Xbox, has gone on the record to say Microsoft's gaming business is not on the market, pushing back against speculation about a possible sale.

Her comments come after a stretch of layoffs, studio restructuring, and persistent chatter that Microsoft might spin off the gaming division that includes Xbox.

What Sharma Said

In an interview with The New York Times, Sharma was unequivocal: "Xbox is not for sale."

She also made clear that the gaming division still has plenty of work to do inside Microsoft, and that the company is taking a long-term view.

Sharma indicated Xbox will weigh a range of options for moving forward, among them partnerships and adjustments to how it operates. That leaves the door open to various forms of reorganization, even as she ruled out a sale of Xbox to another company.

Why the Rumors Spread

Talk about Xbox potentially separating from Microsoft gained momentum following a wave of major changes in the gaming business. During the recent layoffs, several studios were folded into larger divisions, and Microsoft kept reviewing Xbox's structure.

Sharma's statement addresses the question of a sale specifically. It stops short of providing a definitive answer on whether Microsoft might someday alter the gaming division's structure or establish it as a separate entity.