Xbox takes an executive hit as Shane Kim retires

by Stevie Smith - Sep 15 2009, 15:45

Largely considered to be one of the driving forces behind the Xbox brand, renowned Microsoft executive Shane Kim has announced he is to retire from the Redmond-based giant’s Interactive Entertainment Business division.

With almost 20 years of experience within the videogame industry, Kim initially joined Microsoft Game Studios as a corporate vice president and was involved in the creation of award-winning Xbox exclusives such as Halo, Gears of War and Fable.

Kim’s retirement comes only a year after the gaming bigwig moved further up the Microsoft ladder by taking a position as a vice president of Strategy and Business Development for the software titan’s Interactive Entertainment Business division.

GameSpot reports that Kim will remain in his position until the close of 2009, at which point Phil Spencer, the current general manager of Microsoft Game Studios, will be shuffled over to fill the corporate void.

The Strategy and Business Development arm of Microsoft’s Xbox division should be in safe hands with Spencer, who takes the position with a qualifying software history very similar to that of Kim’s.

Specifically, during his time in the upper echelons of Microsoft Game Studios, Spencer has had a hand in the development of titles such as Halo: ODST, Gears of War 2 and Fable 2.

Reports suggest Kim is stepping down in order to spend more time with his family.

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