Xbox CEO Asha Sharma Says "The Next Kojima" Is Yet To Be Discovered - Right Before Rolling Out Layoffs

Asha Sharma speaks highly of Xbox's collaboration with Kojima Productions, praising OD in a new interview. She adds that OD is the kind of game Xbox ought to be supporting, as it seeks to expand the kind of titles that it platforms.

However, Sharma's comments come right as many Xbox developers brace themselves for layoffs. It's already been confirmed that there will be huge cuts as part of Xbox's "reset", with entire studios expected to be shut down, or at best, sold off or made independent.

Asha Sharma Wants Xbox To Bring In More Creators And Developers - While It's Laying Off Creators And Developers

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Sharma says that OD proves that Xbox has "not reached the boundary of games" that it wants on its platforms.

"We need to make sure our platform is sufficiently open so more creators and developers can come on board and be successful," Sharma adds. "The next Kojima is yet to be known."

She is, of course, right in pointing out that there is so much untapped potential in the gaming industry. Right now, even industry legends like Kojima can struggle to get their projects funded - in the same interview, he says other companies passed up on the opportunity to support OD. So, if you are a first-time dev with a bright idea, you're definitely going to struggle to find a backer.

The only problem with Sharma saying this is that her big Xbox reset plan is about to result in Xbox losing a bunch of talent. Or, as Sharma puts it, losing "the next Kojima".

Right now, Xbox hardly seems like a stable partner to have on your side. Just days after Ninja Theory announced its new game, Senua, it was reported that the studio is facing closure. In fact, it has since been claimed that Xbox was already considering getting rid of the studio before it decided to platform Senua's reveal at its showcase. It's hard to get excited about new Xbox games when there's no guarantee that the studio will be around much longer.

At the very least, Bethesda is insisting that Akane's Blade game is still happening, despite the silence from the project and fears that the studio is also facing closure. It remains to be seen how Xbox's various studios will fare when the reset plans roll out.

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