After unveiling the Xbox XP division last week, CEO Asha Sharma has announced Xbox Labs, a small team of “game makers, engineers, and scientists” who focus on using new game development tools and AI technology to test out new ideas, make Xbox games more accessible to players, and “turn emerging ideas” into an experience that benefits both the players and developers.
Xbox Labs Will Focus on Browser Gaming, Apple Silicon Support and Mods
According to Xbox’s latest blog, Asha Sharma has created Xbox Labs with Xbox CTO Scott Van Vliet and will apparently “build in the open, learn from what people do, and measure success by whether more people are playing and creating.”
Sharma acknowledged the gaming community’s recent efforts to bring classic games to new platforms, including running games in browsers using paid browser tech such as WebAssembly and WebGPU. The GTA 5 browser port is one example, while online game remixes have also gained traction, including a crossover between Marvel’s Spider-Man and Batman: Arkham Knight.
These experiments prompted Sharma to launch Xbox Labs, which aims to revive older and some of the best Xbox games and make game creation more accessible. While she didn’t explicitly mention AI, she highlighted opportunities for players to become creators and co-creators.
Sharma then drew parallels between gaming and AI agent workloads, saying players spend over 72 billion hours playing Xbox games annually on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Game Pass, five times the estimated time spent writing code worldwide, and that combining gaming and software development could make games more accessible.
“These are unmistakably good outcomes for players, even when (and sometimes because) they challenge our existing business models,” said Sharma. According to Gamesindustry.biz, an Xbox spokesperson has laid out what Xbox Labs will be focusing on:
- Making existing games playable in the browser
- Bringing games to Apple computers via Apple Silicon support
- Developing and supporting modders
- Expanding multiplayer experiences
This news comes during the company’s “XBOX Reset” restructuring, and Xbox Labs is likely a part of this plan. However, Asha Sharma remains committed to Xbox’s 4Cs and to making great games and hardware, potentially including the Xbox Helix.
Sharma concluded by saying Xbox Labs will explore emerging technologies in game design, potentially opening new possibilities for existing titles without abandoning their current development priorities. Xbox also confirmed it will not use AI explicitly beyond what’s necessary to implement a specific idea.
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