Microsoft has stated that its chief operating officer Rick Belluzzo will step down in May of this year. After little more than a year in his position, Belluzzo’s departure comes as a surprise to the industry.
Regarded as the man that, working with Robbie Bach, launched the Xbox around the world, it was Belluzzo who engineered the success of the console in America, as well as some PC consumer applications, such as MSN Messenger.
Though no exact reason was stated, it is widely believed that the relatively poor performance of the Xbox, both in Japan and Europe, triggered his unexpected move. For reference, last week in Japan the Xbox sold at retail 4,000 units, compared with 100,000 PlayStation 2 hardware units.
Belluzzo is the man who is widely believed as pushing the Xbox as an undercover home entertainment hub, and was hard-linked to the term “HomeStation,” something that both Belluzzo and Microsoft fastidiously denied.
Belluzzo will stay on at Microsoft, out of position, until September, to oversee the transition to his successor.
Regarded as the man that, working with Robbie Bach, launched the Xbox around the world, it was Belluzzo who engineered the success of the console in America, as well as some PC consumer applications, such as MSN Messenger.
Though no exact reason was stated, it is widely believed that the relatively poor performance of the Xbox, both in Japan and Europe, triggered his unexpected move. For reference, last week in Japan the Xbox sold at retail 4,000 units, compared with 100,000 PlayStation 2 hardware units.
Belluzzo is the man who is widely believed as pushing the Xbox as an undercover home entertainment hub, and was hard-linked to the term “HomeStation,” something that both Belluzzo and Microsoft fastidiously denied.
Belluzzo will stay on at Microsoft, out of position, until September, to oversee the transition to his successor.
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