Xbox wants to hit 500 million daily users by 2030 after laying off thousands

It’s common to see big companies set unattainable overly ambitious targets, but Xbox might just be taking the cake on that front in the gaming space.

In a recent internal memo (via CNBC), Xbox CEO Asha Sharma outlined how the company plans to return to growth amid a wider reset that’s already seen 1,600 layoffs with an additional 1,600 planned. (This is to say nothing of the thousands of other employees the company has axed over the past few years.)

Of particular note in this new memo is mention of Sharma’s goal of Xbox reaching 500 million people every day by 2030 as part of its larger goal of ultimately attaining one billion daily users. For context, she said the company currently has an audience of “more than 100 million people every day.”

To achieve this, Sharma says Xbox “will build long-term plans for our biggest franchises across film, television, consumer products, sponsorship, live experiences, and form new partnerships globally, including China.” She also wants to expand the company’s footprint in casual games beyond the popular mobile title Candy Crush.

Of course, these are lofty goals, especially as the company has been gutting so much of the talent that made it what it is. It also can’t be understated how ridiculous this goal is no matter how you slice it. Yes, Microsoft’s acquisition spree in recent years means it now owns juggernaut properties like Minecraft, Call of Duty and Candy Crush. But those games weren’t helping Xbox reach these lofty targets even when it had more staff and was pursuing a multiplatform approach. Now, it’s in the process of losing (at least) 3,200 people while trying to return to console exclusives and telling studios to fast-track blockbuster games, like it’s doing with Obsidian and Fallout. (To be clear, that’s not how game development — a process that is notoriously difficult and ever-evolving — actually works.)

What’s more, these goals don’t make sense even if you factor in Xbox’s multimedia ambitions. Yes, film and TV adaptations like Minecraft and Fallout have been popular, but there’s still much ground to cover for Xbox to reach one billion people, especially as there are roughly three billion total gamers around the world when you consider every available platform and type of game.

This is to say nothing of how much more expensive everything, including Xbox consoles, has recently become due to AI — a development brought about, in no small part, due to Microsoft’s own obsession with the tech. There are also growing calls to boycott Xbox amid Microsoft’s dealings with the genocidal Israeli military.

But hey, at least Sharma gave a bunch of fans free 25th anniversary consoles last month, right?

Image credit: Xbox

Source: CNBC