Microsoft Gaming is gone as Xbox Project Helix gets more interesting by the day

Phil Spencer might have guided Xbox through some of its toughest times, pivoting the brand into a cloud gaming giant and publisher as console sales dwindled, but it looks like his successor is looking to turn back the clock.

Asha Sharma has already proved she's ready to make big decisions as the latest CEO of Microsoft's gaming division – including scrapping Microsoft's gaming division.

Strictly speaking, it's not scrapped, but there is a suggestion that Microsoft Gaming as a department is gone – rebranded just Xbox. And on top of that, the brand gets a new logo that harks back to the glory days of the original Xbox console and its hugely successful follow-up, the Xbox 360.

Yep, Xbox has gone green once more.

According to The Verge, this follows an internal town hall meeting in which Sharma told employees, "Xbox needs to be our identity". It is part of her driver to reestablish the brand and "return to Xbox" both inside Microsoft and out.

Project Helix is part of that – a major push to be the company's main focus, rather than just another platform to sell Xbox Cloud Gaming and Game Pass subscriptions. And it seems like it will be adorned with a green logo to represent its heritage.

The Verge also claims that internal Project Helix materials have sported the new logo for a while.

Who knows, maybe the whole console will be green? That sounds mad, yeah, but as an owner of an original translucent green Xbox, I'd be all up for that.

Admittedly, the new logo isn't a million miles away from the white version that was introduced during Spencer's tenure. But I personally welcome the return of the colour – after all, Xbox has always been green, PlayStation blue and Nintendo red. It reinforces battle lines and aids magazine designers everywhere.

We'll hopefully see more coming from the Xbox CEO and her team in the coming weeks – after all, its hosting it's annual showcase event at the start of June.

With this and the recent price drop for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Asha Sharma is certainly making a good impression already.