Xbox Head of Research and Design Chris Novak Leaves After Nearly 20 Years - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 20 April 2022 / 1,363 Views
Chris Novak, Xbox’s head of research and design, via LinkedIn announced he has left the company after nearly 20 years.
He was first hired by Xbox in November 2022 and served as a Design Director until 2009 when he was promoted to Design Architect. Since 2016, he has been the head of research and design at Xbox and worked on the user experience on Xbox Game Pass, xCloud, Xbox Live, and more.
"I have resigned from Xbox and from Microsoft, and my last day is today, the 19th!" said Novak. "I started at Xbox in November of 2002, so after nearly 20 years I know this news can either come as a surprise, or as expected. It’s a mix of both!
"I have loved my time with Xbox. Building end-to-end experiences for gamers is a privilege. 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. If you want to collaborate and chat design, games, or product please reach out (no matter the industry!). I’ve found that the best things I’ve seen or done in games have sparked from other areas, and I want to lean into that in a big way.
"I will always root for Xbox, for user-centered process, and most importantly for the voices of countless gamers around the world looking for ways to connect to one another and the games they love. They are who we really work for!"
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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