Chris Novak Leaves Xbox After Almost 20 Years

Head of Xbox Research & Design Chris Novak announced yesterday that he is leaving Microsoft after almost 20 years.

“I have loved my time with Xbox,” Novak writes in a LinkedIn post explaining his departure. “Building end-to-end experiences for gamers is a privilege. There are very few things one gets to work on in life [that] 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.”

It’s unclear why Novak is leaving at this time. He has served as Head of Xbox Research & Design since 2016, during which time he led the user experience design across gaming at Microsoft including Xbox consoles, Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Live, and Xbox Cloud Gaming.

“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,” Novack added. “They are who we really work for!”