Few people expected 2026 to become one of the most important years in recent Xbox history. In a surprising move, Phil Spencer stepped aside and Asha Sharma took over leadership of Microsoft’s gaming division. The new executive has already made several changes during her short tenure, and it appears she has adopted an unusual approach to better understand the problems that affect hundreds of players every day.

According to a new report, the head of Microsoft’s gaming division spends a considerable amount of time each month helping the customer support team. Her goal? Getting a better understanding of the people who use Xbox.

Asha Sharma helps with customer support to better understand players

A few days ago, The Wall Street Journal published an extensive article detailing the career of Xbox’s new chief, who [officially replaced Phil Spencer at the beginning of 2026](LEVEL UP article).

The report dives into Asha Sharma’s professional background and describes her as “the woman fixing Microsoft’s mess with brutal honesty.” The article portrays the current Xbox chief as a hard-working and intense executive who performed strongly during her time at Porch and Facebook.

The Wall Street Journal piece also includes comments from Todd Howard of Bethesda, who describes Sharma as someone who is “uniquely effective at getting to the point and communicating clearly.” Those comments are consistent with information that had already surfaced about the new Xbox boss, so they are hardly a major revelation.

However, the report ends with a detail that caught the gaming community off guard. According to the outlet, Asha Sharma spends “a few hours a month” personally responding to requests from players who contact customer support to try to resolve an issue.

According to the article, the Xbox chief regularly participates in these activities for a simple reason: to better understand the obstacles facing Xbox users. During these sessions, Sharma reportedly learned “how complicated it can be to solve one player’s problem.”

Asha Sharma servicio soporte técnico XBOX

Asha Sharma is trying to turn Xbox around

Naturally, some people have questioned the legitimacy of this claim, with many suggesting that it could simply be a “public relations strategy.” Still, it means Sharma has had a direct look at Xbox players’ feedback, something that appears to have influenced some of her early decisions as head of the division.

After taking over, Asha Sharma made significant changes to Xbox Game Pass to [lower its price and give players more options](LEVEL UP article). She also [reaffirmed her commitment to exclusives](LEVEL UP article) and launched the Player Voice program, which gives players an easy way to share their feedback.

While many of these changes were well received by the community, the Xbox chief has also made controversial and heavily criticized decisions as part of the brand’s “reset.” For starters, mass layoffs took place in July, [affecting thousands of employees across the organization](LEVEL UP article).

Additionally, Xbox Game Studios ended its relationship with Double Fine Productions and Compulsion Games, which became independent, while Ninja Theory and Undead Labs reached agreements with new owners.

In an effort to improve profitability, the company has also introduced changes that have triggered a negative reaction. Recently, it was reported that the [Xbox Game Pass cloud streaming service will have time restrictions](LEVEL UP article). On top of that, recent rumors suggest that 2027 will bring more changes to the subscription program, and that [day-one releases could be on their way out](LEVEL UP article).

But tell us: did you know that Asha Sharma personally responds to players’ support requests? Let us know in the comments.