During a recent town hall meeting for employees, Asha Sharma, President and CEO of Xbox, presented a clear vision for the future of the platform on PC. The main goal is to transform the current experience—often considered complex by game developers—into a more seamless and engaging ecosystem. This announcement comes amid a major restructuring of the Xbox organization, aimed at reducing costs and optimizing internal processes.
Battle.net: A Platform with Strong Retention Potential
A central focus of the presentation was Microsoft’s commitment to making Battle.net a major player in the PC market. Asha Sharma emphasized that, historically, Xbox’s approach to this platform had been too limited, focusing solely on a single app. She acknowledged that Battle.net already has considerable strengths, including user retention rates nearly on par with Steam’s.
The executive explained that the service, while less visible, is excellent at keeping players active once they’re integrated into the ecosystem. Microsoft now intends to invest in this platform to better support both its first-party titles and select third-party games. This strategy is based on curation—a different approach from the more open model of Steam or the Xbox PC app—but one that helps build loyalty within a specific community.
It’s worth noting that this initiative could also help strengthen the Xbox Play Anywhere program. For example, the recent partnership with *The Witcher 3* has expanded access to the game on Xbox Series X|S consoles and via the cloud, even when purchased through Battle.net on PC. Microsoft clarifies that it has no plans to abandon Steam, but will continue to invest in other Windows apps to reach distinct audiences, particularly in China, where the Microsoft Store has a strong presence.
Simplifying Tools for Developers
Another priority announced by Asha Sharma is the simplification of publishing processes on Xbox. She acknowledged that working with the platform is currently “very difficult” for developers, whether they are large studios or independent developers. To address this, Microsoft is overhauling its tools, notably by transitioning to a “headless” partner hub and streamlining its APIs to make them more machine-readable.
The goal is to reduce bottlenecks and minimize the need for human intervention during game certification. This initiative aims to provide creators with tools that enable them to grow their businesses and better understand their performance. Currently, developers often complain about long certification times and rejections without clear explanations, which leads some to prioritize PS5 or Steam versions for reviews and user-generated content.
Microsoft hopes to bring its experience in line with that of its competitors by making the publishing process as simple and automated as possible. At the same time, pre-installation offers for games like World of Warcraft are being rolled out to millions of computer manufacturers (OEMs) to increase Battle.net’s visibility from the moment users purchase new hardware. This combined approach—blending improved technical tools with promotion through manufacturers—marks a turning point in Xbox’s strategy in the PC market.