Newly minted Xbox CEO Asha Sharma may have only been on the job for a little over a month, but that hasn’t stopped her from making an early impact. Her latest? Announcing that the popular Xbox FanFest community event will be making a return, and it won’t be long before it takes place.
As part of an announcement detailing the Xbox Games Showcase on June 7, followed by a Gears of War E-Day Direct immediately after, Sharma revealed that “as part of the return of Xbox” the FanFest is also returning.
“In my first month, I heard clearly that our community values Xbox FanFest,” Sharma wrote on Twitter. “As part of the return of Xbox, we made the decision to bring it back to LA to recognize the players who’ve been with us over the years.
“Looking forward to celebrating together!”
As Pure Xbox noted in its report, the popular FanFest event was not held last year, even though Xbox did have a general Xbox Games Showcase event. Instead, it was an all-digital event, but that didn’t stop Xbox fans from hosting their own version of the FanFest.
Together, they held a watch party at a venue, along with giveaways and special guests. It did require sign-ups and a raffle system, so it wasn’t totally an open-to-all event, but it did demonstrate how much Xbox fans do value in-person gatherings and the overall community aspect of gaming.
This year’s event, per Xbox Wire, will seemingly take a similar approach, with fans being encouraged to enter for a chance to win free tickets. Details about what to expect at the event are slim, but it seems like it will keep with Microsoft’s overarching desire to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Xbox brand.
“This year’s experience will include a look back at the last 25 years, alongside a forward view of what’s next,” the post noted.
Xbox 360 Didn’t Outsell The PS3, But It Was Definitely The Most Influential Console
It’s been twenty long years since the Xbox 360 first came into our lives.
Sharma Has Had An Early Impact On Xbox
Despite a lack of time at the helm, Sharma has made her presence felt. Immediately following her assignment, Sharma hinted at a potential return of Xbox-only exclusives, something that the brand was evidently moving away from with many of its tentpole titles moving to PlayStation.
Then, the much-maligned “This is an Xbox” ad campaign was outright retired, with a Microsoft spokesperson later confirming that it was Sharma who was behind the decision.
“Asha retired ‘This is an Xbox’ because it didn’t feel like Xbox,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Windows Central. “She is personally leading a reset of how we show up as a brand.”
It’s clear that Sharma sees a major part of her role as returning the brand to where it once was, whether that’s retiring ad campaigns that don’t make sense or bringing back fan fests that drove community engagement.
Nintendo Switch 2’s New Boost Mode Finally Makes It A Console Worth Buying
Playing in portable mode on Nintendo Switch 2 has never been better thanks to the new Boost Mode.
