Xbox CEO Asha Sharma gave a rare interview to BBC News at Gamescom 2026, where she said Microsoft has been "hard at work on a great next generation and a great family of devices for Project Helix," and that more details would come later. She said Xbox would continue pushing the boundaries of performance and reiterated Microsoft's stated goal of letting players use their console to play both console and PC games.
Sharma also addressed rising hardware and component costs, saying the industry needs to innovate on affordability and efficiency "that we have not had to do" before, and that Xbox wants to give people more choice in how they buy and play on their console. She pointed to varied purchasing models used for smartphones as one possible approach to affordability for next-gen consoles.
The phrase "family of devices" has fueled speculation about what form Project Helix will take. Outlets noted this could mean a repeat of the current generation's two-tiered approach — a more powerful and a cheaper, less capable machine, as with the Xbox Series X and Series S — or a deeper push into handheld gaming, especially as rumors suggest Sony is pursuing a handheld version of the PlayStation 6.
On the subject of The Elder Scrolls 6, Sharma was pressed by the BBC on whether the game would be an Xbox exclusive but did not give a direct answer. She said, "We are increasingly going to be one of the largest platforms in the world. Every platform needs some form of exclusive experiences and content," citing Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution as examples of confirmed exclusives, while adding that Xbox must balance exclusivity with keeping the business healthy. When pressed specifically on Elder Scrolls 6, she smiled and said only, "It's a beautiful game."
The exclusivity question comes as Xbox, under Sharma's leadership, has pushed to bring back console exclusives following a period of broader multiplatform releases under former CEO Phil Spencer, who had previously said making Elder Scrolls 6 exclusive was economically viable. Meanwhile, Forza Horizon 6, which was originally expected to arrive on PS5 this year after a limited exclusivity window, has reportedly been delayed and is not expected until 2027, raising questions about whether Xbox could reconsider bringing it to Sony's platform at all.