Microsoft's Xbox boss says the console business isn't going anywhere.
In an interview with The New York Times, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said flatly: "Xbox is not for sale." She added that Microsoft will "look at the right partnerships, the right operating model and everything needed" to set the unit up for success. The denial responds to two reports from The Information: one in June saying CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood had discussed spinning off Xbox, and a more recent one saying the pair now back Sharma's plan to overhaul the division instead of selling it.
The reporting arc described by The Information - from weighing a sale to backing an overhaul - suggests Microsoft's leadership settled on restructuring Xbox rather than divesting it. But Sharma's own phrase "the right partnerships" leaves room for deals that fall short of a full sale, so her denial closes off one scenario without ruling out others.
Ruling out a sale of Xbox is not the same as ruling out a sale of part of it - a stake, a studio, or a slice of whatever "operating model" Sharma says is still under review.