Sarah Bond recently spoke with Fortune Magazine’s Katharine Gemmell about the future of Xbox. They discussed how the platform is changing to meet the needs of players on consoles, PCs, and through cloud gaming, and covered topics like leadership and overall strategy.
In the interview, Bond highlighted that players using Xbox Play Anywhere (XPA) tend to stick around longer and are more engaged. He didn’t directly address the frequently discussed goal of a 30% profit margin, but instead explained that Xbox is focused on achieving sustainable growth, understanding player habits, and maintaining a healthy business.
How Xbox Play Anywhere is shaping player engagement
As a big Xbox fan, I love how Xbox Play Anywhere lets me play my favorite games wherever I am! It’s awesome that I can switch between my Xbox console, my PC, and even play in the cloud, all with the same game. It just makes owning games so much easier and more flexible, and I was really excited to hear they hit a huge milestone with it last summer!
In an interview with Fortune Magazine, Sarah Bond discussed how Xbox filters useful feedback from general opinions. She clarified that simply looking at what players say isn’t enough to make good decisions.
We carefully listen to player feedback from every source. We also analyze how players are actually using the game, and combining these insights helps us understand what’s most important.
Sarah Bond – President of Xbox
Bond highlighted Xbox Play Anywhere as a prime illustration of how understanding player behavior influences where Microsoft invests its resources.
Looking at how players interacted with XPA games, we found they spent about 20% more time playing them.
Sarah Bond – President of Xbox
The rise in user interaction is a key reason Xbox has been promoting this feature more and more lately. According to Bond, the numbers show that XPA isn’t just about making things easier – it’s having a real impact.
We noticed players really enjoyed this feature and were more likely to spend money or keep playing games if they could continue their progress on different devices. Because of this, we decided to invest further in XPA, expanding the available content and adding even more options.
Sarah Bond – President of Xbox
Personally, this makes a lot of sense because I often find myself playing games on my Xbox Ally X when I wouldn’t otherwise have time. And when I do, I usually choose Xbox Play Anywhere games because they’re so convenient.
What Bond did and did not say about 30% profit margins
Recent reports indicate Microsoft is aiming for a surprisingly high profit margin of 30% on Xbox, much higher than the average in the gaming industry. This goal has been widely talked about, so it understandably came up during the interview and created some pressure.
To her credit, the interviewer does not shy away from the issue, asking Bond directly:
Microsoft is aiming for a 30% profit margin with Xbox, which is much higher than what most companies in the gaming industry achieve. This raises questions about how that goal affects the games they choose to make and how much they’re willing to invest. Have we seen any shifts in their approach as a result?
Bond doesn’t address the specific number mentioned in the question. Instead, she shifts the focus to overall goals and the need for adaptability.
We constantly adapt our investments based on the overall economic situation, what players want, and what developers need. Our goal is to offer a complete range of experiences for everyone involved. It’s an ongoing process of ensuring we have a successful and growing business, while also increasing player and developer engagement and growth throughout our platform.
Sarah Bond – President of Xbox
The response doesn’t really confirm if Xbox is actually aiming for a 30% profit margin, but it does support what Xbox has publicly stated. Throughout the discussion, Bond emphasizes that profitability is just one piece of the puzzle, and needs to be considered alongside keeping players happy and planning for the future. He doesn’t present profit as the main reason behind their choices about games or business strategy.
Although Bond didn’t directly deny the reports, their careful avoidance of confirming a 30% profit margin target actually strengthens those claims.
Rumors are just that, but the numbers don’t lie. If players on Xbox Play Anywhere are truly playing 20% more, it clearly explains why Microsoft is so committed to letting people play games on different devices – and we at Windows Central think that’s great.
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2026-01-26 21:10