The Xbox is gathering its troops for its upcoming onslaught on the home console market. Eager to take a decent sized piece of the pie, Microsoft has signed up Toshiyuki Miyata as head of its games production group in Japan.
Miyata started his career with Sony Computer Entertainment where he became instrumental in pushing the original PlayStation to the forefront of modern gaming. Formerly the manager of the development department at SCE, Miyata’s new job with US computer giants Microsoft will see him assume a similar role, as before, managing the production of all Xbox games that are co-developed with the Xbox team.
The appointment is seen a giant coup by Microsoft, and of such importance it made Bill Gates’ keynote speech to the Tokyo Game Show this morning.
Taking the reigns from Gates, Miyata showed off his team’s latest work in progress, an Xbox fighting game codename Project K-X. As with many Xbox games to be shown as running, Project K-X has the clinical and slightly dark look that has been apparent in the previously released tech-demos and Halo.
The appointment also shows that Microsoft is not being too complacent in its approach to the games industry. Many people thought, especially in Japan, that the Xbox would try to redefine gaming in its own image, something that was not at all welcomed. Appointing one of the PlayStation Godfathers will go some way towards correcting this.
Miyata started his career with Sony Computer Entertainment where he became instrumental in pushing the original PlayStation to the forefront of modern gaming. Formerly the manager of the development department at SCE, Miyata’s new job with US computer giants Microsoft will see him assume a similar role, as before, managing the production of all Xbox games that are co-developed with the Xbox team.
The appointment is seen a giant coup by Microsoft, and of such importance it made Bill Gates’ keynote speech to the Tokyo Game Show this morning.
Taking the reigns from Gates, Miyata showed off his team’s latest work in progress, an Xbox fighting game codename Project K-X. As with many Xbox games to be shown as running, Project K-X has the clinical and slightly dark look that has been apparent in the previously released tech-demos and Halo.
The appointment also shows that Microsoft is not being too complacent in its approach to the games industry. Many people thought, especially in Japan, that the Xbox would try to redefine gaming in its own image, something that was not at all welcomed. Appointing one of the PlayStation Godfathers will go some way towards correcting this.
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Toshiyuki Miyata
