Ex-Microsoft and Blizzard Boss to Xbox Fans: Get Consoles Right — or Get Left Behind
Mike Ybarra responds to Sony's PlayStation 5 surge, setting the tone for the next phase of the console race.
Former Blizzard boss and longtime Xbox exec Mike Ybarra is not exactly sending Xbox a fruit basket right now. After Sony bragged about how well PS5 is doing, Ybarra jumped in with some pointed commentary that reads like a very public eye-roll at Microsoft's console strategy.
What kicked this off
IGN reported on a talk from Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino, who said the PS5 generation has already pulled in over $136 billion. In response, Ybarra chimed in with a sarcastic take about the idea that the console business isn't successful, then followed it with a blunt add-on that it absolutely is — if you execute correctly. Subtle, this is not.
The not-so-subtle follow-ups
When someone replied and basically called him a bitter ex, Ybarra didn't back down. He tossed out a line that sure sounds aimed at Xbox Series X|S, given the context:
"Your console is dead."
Later, after another commenter joked that everything is a console if you're brave enough, Ybarra shot back that it's more about being confused than brave — a pretty clear jab at Xbox's identity crisis.
Why this lands the way it does
This isn't a random drive-by. Ybarra spent nearly two decades at Microsoft, including a run as Xbox corporate VP, and later served as president of Blizzard Entertainment. He left Microsoft in 2019 and has been uncommonly candid about Xbox ever since. It's a little inside baseball to see a former exec keep poking the bear in public, but that's what makes it interesting.
Context from Ybarra's past comments
- Earlier this year, he told frustrated Xbox fans that PlayStation and Switch exclusives aren't going anywhere, and being mad about it won't change that reality.
- He also weighed in on the ROG Ally handheld discourse to nudge Microsoft to pick a lane and stick to it, saying it's tough watching Xbox seem unsure about what it wants to be. He added that there are still great people on the team — they just need to make changes, fast.
Put together, the message hasn't shifted: Ybarra still thinks the console business works when you commit to a clear strategy, and he doesn't think Xbox has nailed that yet. Given Sony's PS5 numbers, he picked quite a moment to say it out loud.