Big changes have come to Microsoft and now the Xbox One development team has two leaders spurring the charge.
The rumored shakeup at Microsoft which was said to be one of the key reasons behind Don Mattrick’s departure has indeed gone down and in its wake, the Xbox One development team now answers to two different people.
In his efforts to make Microsoft a more “monolithic” company, CEO Steve Ballmer his split the development of the company’s upcoming next-gen console Xbox One into two divisions. Terry Myerson, who previously served as the head of Microsoft’s Windows Phone division, will now be leading the console’s Operating Systems unit which includes core functions for the system.
Meanwhile, Julie Larson-Green will be stepping into the vacancy left by Don Mattrick as the new head of the Devices and Studios unit which is in charge of the Xbox One’s tangible hardware and components. Ballmer has also put Skype head Tony Bates in charge of the Xbox One’s developer relations and evangelism unit which will hopefully help the company maintain strong and friendly relationships with developers after the console is officially released.
Ballmer detailed his new vision for Microsoft in a company email he sent out aptly titled “One Microsoft” stressing his desire to “reshape how we interact with our customers, developers and key innovation partners, delivering a more coherent message and family of product offerings."
The full email transcript can be read on the following pages.
