There's a lot that has been said about Microsoft's new head of its gaming division and the Xbox platform, Asha Sharma, particularly with regard to the fact that she's coming into the world of video games from an outsider's perspective. But by the same token, she's also (at least publicly) made it abundantly clear she is trying to listen and learn from those already ingrained in the industry, and she just showed that same sentiment once again by reaching out to one of PlayStation's former bosses, Shawn Layden.
While Sharma represents the next era of leadership for one of the three major platform holders in video games, Layden represents a time long gone. As the president of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan and later the president and chief executive officer of Sony Interactive Entertainment between the PlayStation 3 through to the end of the PlayStation 4 generation, Layden saw the video game industry change dramatically between those generations and how they led towards what we have now, not just with regard to where PlayStation is, but the industry as a whole.
In the time since Layden stepped down in 2019, he's been known to share his thoughts on the industry as it's evolved. Which is what he was doing when Sharma publicly reached out with the invitation to chat. Spotted by GameReactor, in response to a post from Joost van Dreunen, a video game industry analyst whose comments we've covered previously, Layden, speaking of Xbox and Xbox Game Pass, said, "They are trying so hard to will this into health, despite unfavorable diagnostics and a grim prognosis. A clarifying post mortem would do the entire industry some good."
Sharma then responded to Layden, simply saying, "I would love to chat sometime."
The ramifications of a conversation between one current platform leader and a former leader could be massive, especially considering that Sharma is reportedly leading the rebrand of Xbox "personally," and that she is seemingly on the verge of making some major decisions for the company, like potentially decreasing the price of Game Pass.
It would be interesting to see Sharma take a point or two from Layden's perspective, even if he hasn't been at the head of the kinds of decisions Sharma has to face now for over five years. Of course, we'll likely never know what exactly the ramifications of a conversation between them are, if it happens at all. But it is positive to see Sharma so open to varying perspectives.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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