Xbox's Head Of Research And Design Leaves After 20 Years
Image: Official Xbox Podcast

Xbox's Head of Research and Design, Chris Novak, has announced he's left Microsoft after almost 20 years working at the company, having started on the Xbox team all the way back in November of 2002 as a Design Director.

In a message posted on LinkedIn, Novak confirmed he'd resigned from Microsoft, but stated he'd loved his time with Xbox and would always root for the brand. For now, he's embarking on a "period of reflection and rest":

"There are very few things one gets to work on in life which evoke such passion in people around the world. I adore listening to gamers and envisioning that next moment of unexpected delight. Gaming is amazing. Xbox will always be with me.

My journey has a period of reflection and rest in its immediate future—one I promised myself a few years ago after a significant event outside of work. I’m going to spend some time doing a life and design tour everywhere I can..."

In recent years, Novak's role has been to guide the user experience across gaming at Microsoft, as well as research for first-party games. He was heavily involved in the new Xbox Store design refresh back in 2020, amongst other things.

Previously, he was part of the initial HoloLens team, and also worked as a Design Architect for Microsoft Studios, serving as a first-party design representative and helping to ship the likes of Sunset Overdrive and Ryse: Son of Rome.

From all of us here at Pure Xbox, we wish Chris all the best in the future!

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