XBOX's New Strategy Chief to Focus on Reviving "Storied Franchises"

XBOX may finally be getting ready to dig deep into its old franchise vault again. Following his appointment as XBOX’s new Chief Strategy Officer, Matthew Ball has reportedly confirmed that part of his focus will revolve around reviving classic XBOX IPs while rebuilding the console side of the business.

The comments came shortly after XBOX CEO Asha Sharma announced Ball’s hiring alongside Scott Van Vliet, who is stepping in as the new CTO.

Matthew Ball says dormant XBOX franchises still matter

In a brief statement shared with Bloomberg, Ball reportedly said he wants to help bring back some of Microsoft’s “storied franchises.” While he did not name specific games, the comment alone sent fans into speculation mode. Franchises like Banjo-Kazooie, Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and more have been floating around community discussions for years.

As of now, it remains unclear which franchises could actually return first. However, Ball openly talking about reviving classic XBOX series is probably the biggest hint yet that Microsoft may finally be taking those requests seriously. Previously, Ball highlighted how older franchises continue dominating player attention and engagement across the industry. That could explain why XBOX appears interested in revisiting dormant properties instead of focusing entirely on brand-new franchises.

Notably, Ball also believes the console market is still growing despite rising hardware costs and increasing pressure from subscriptions and cloud gaming. That lines up closely with his long-running industry analysis work. Ball has repeatedly argued that gaming revenue growth is becoming increasingly uneven, with publishers relying more heavily on subscriptions, platform ecosystems, and a smaller number of giant franchises.

Speaking of the business side, XBOX CEO Asha Sharma recently also hinted that the next-gen Project Helix console is not immune to the ongoing memory supply crunch. According to Sharma, that could directly impact both pricing and availability.