Xbox hires analyst who predicted GTA 6 may cost $100 to lead gaming strategy

Microsoft has hired industry analyst Matthew Ball to help guide its Xbox games division in uncertain waters, especially as the company prepares its revolutionary Project Helix console.

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In her quest to overhaul Xbox, Microsoft's new gaming CEO Asha Sharma has made some key hires to help facilitate key shifts at the segment. New reports from The Verge indicate that Xbox has hired games industry analyst Matthew Ball to help lead strategy at the group. Ball is well-known for his work at Epyllion, where has published multiple games industry-oriented reports and briefings.

"Matthew has been partnering with us on strategy since day 10 and will officially start this month, reporting to me," Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is believed to have said in a recent memo.

Interesting note: Epyllion's Matthew Ball was the analyst who originally set forth the idea of GTA 6 costing $100.

The news comes at a pivotal time as Microsoft is poised to make big changes at Xbox, especially on the hardware front, as the next console could significantly change Xbox's business model moving forward. Project Helix, the new Xbox console, will play both PC and console games and may also have competing third-party storefronts like Steam on the device itself.

Xbox's new CEO has been making radical changes at the group since taking position months ago, with the biggest being the outright removal of Call of Duty from the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription tier and subsequent price drop on the service.

This decision will have tons of financial implications down the line, and may preserve Call of Duty's front-line value--which happens to be the biggest downfall of the Game Pass service.

Other developments include a new direct feedback program called Xbox Player Voice that allows users to leave comments in Reddit-style posts, as well as an official marketing rebrand that scrapped the damaging "this is an Xbox" campaign, and even an all-caps rebrand.