Key Xbox creative leaves company after almost 20 years

[AngelOfThyNight]

Key Xbox creative leaves company after almost 20 years

[html]Chris Novak is out as Xbox's head of research & design
                                                                               
                                                                                                                               
                           
                           

                               

Chris Novak, Xbox's head of research and development, has left the company after serving in various positions for nearly 20 years.

As head of R&D, a role he's held onto for five years, he was in charge of the user experience for all things gaming at Microsoft, including Xbox Live, Game Pass, and cloud gaming. He also helped with research into first-party games.

Novak began his career at Xbox in November of 2002 as design director, becoming design architect in 2009 and serving as the latter for seven years. He would eventually take over Xbox's R&D division and become an instrumental creative force in several of Xbox's most prominent initiatives. Novak reflected on his time at Xbox in an interview with Polygon.

"Microsoft has been where I've gotten to learn in the crucible of gaming, from the world's best across the industry," Novak said. "I've got to see it in its best times and its worst times. And that learning process, I tremendously treasure."

Novak was promoted to head of research and development during a strategic shift at Xbox. Just a few months prior, Xbox announced its Play Anywhere initiative at E3 2016, which allowed players to access their games on Xbox consoles and Windows PCs.