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Earnest Yuen, a seasoned veteran of the gaming industry and one of Microsoft's longest tenured staff, recently took to LinkedIn to announce his retirement, sharing some appropriately earnest thoughts from his time spent at Microsoft:
"After 31 years at Microsoft, I’ve decided it’s time to begin a new adventure: retirement.
When I joined in 1994, the internet was still finding its feet, game development looked very different, and I certainly didn’t expect that more than three decades later I’d still be having this much fun working with incredibly talented people."
"To everyone I’ve worked with at Microsoft, XBOX, World’s Edge, and across the gaming industry, thank you. Your trust, partnership, support, and above all, your friendship, have meant more than you know."
Spanning his 31-year career, Yuen contributed to more than 50 games, most notably his work on Killer Instinct and the triumphant revival of the Age of Empires franchise.
He became a well-loved public figure in the Xbox community, working on other projects such as Age of Mythology: Retold, Kameo: Elements of Power, and the iconic Doritos Crash Course.
For me, however, I'll forever be grateful to Yuen for the part he played in the creation of Blinx: The Time Sweeper. Chant with me now, "Bring Blinx back, bring Blinx back!"
In his LinkedIn post, Yuen shares what comes next:
"As for what’s next? More time with family, new adventures, some long-neglected hobbies, and maybe, for the first time in decades, playing games with absolutely no production meetings attached. I’ll of course still enjoy catching up with friends about games, the business, and long careers, just with a lighter touch on the calendar and fewer things that require slides."
Join us in wishing the legendary Earnest Yuen a happy retirement, and may he enjoy all that extra time for gaming!