Share this article
Latest news
With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low
Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app
Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities
Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount
Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier
Google Stadia Game Design Director joins Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios Publishing team
2 min. read
Published onJune 21, 2021
published onJune 21, 2021
Share this article
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more
Microsoft revealed today that it has made a new high-profile hire to bolster its Xbox Game Studios Publishing team. Kim Swift, a video games veteran who worked on Portal and Left 4 Dead has left her Game Design Director position at Google Stadia to become Senior Director of Cloud Gaming at Xbox Game Studios Publishing.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Swift previously worked for the publishing department overseeing design for second-party projects at Google Stadia, and she also led a team working on experimental first-party projects. Peter Wyse, Head of Xbox Game Studios Publishing said in an interview withPolygonthat “Kim is going to build a team focused on new experiences in the cloud, something that’s going to support our mission of bringing our Xbox games to connect 3 billion gamers to play our games.”
Overall, this is an interesting hire for Microsoft, and it follows the news ofGoogle closing all of its internal studiosmaking first-party games for the company’s Stadia cloud gaming platform. A lot of Stadia execs have since left the company, including Stadia VP & Head of Games Entertainment Jade Raymond, who went to open a new studio developing exclusive games for PlayStation.
Our team focuses on three pillars in our games: Community, Innovation and Inclusivity. Today,@K2TheSwiftjoins us in XGS Publishing to accelerate our Innovation and collaborate with independent studios to build games for the cloud.
Welcome to the team, Kim!pic.twitter.com/pM3E5Xxyrt
— Xbox Game Studios Publishing (@XboxPublishing)June 21, 2021
Microsoft is on a journey to help developers build cloud-native games, and the Xbox Game Studios Publishing team also shared today its three core pillars for second-party projects, which are Community, Innovation, and Inclusivity. “You can see this come to focus in a game likeTell Me Why,” Wyse told Polygon. “We’re super proud of that game. It speaks to our values around LGBTQIA+ representation, mental health awareness, and more.”
Last year, the Xbox Game Studios Publishing team also brought us critically-acclaimed games with Microsoft Flight Simulator and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, which have both been made by small external studios punching well above their weight. Upcoming second-party projects includeContraband,a co-op experience developed by Avalanche Studios (Just Cause), and there’s alsoAs Dusk Falls, the new interactive adventure from INTERIOR/NIGHT that Microsoft revealed last year.
Radu Tyrsina
Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).
For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.
Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.
User forum
0 messages
Sort by:LatestOldestMost Votes
Comment*
Name*
Email*
Commenting as.Not you?
Save information for future comments
Comment
Δ
Radu Tyrsina
