Boyd Multerer — Director of Development for Xbox and a founding member of Xbox Live — has announced via Twitter that he is leaving Microsoft today to do “something new”.

According to Multerer’s LinkedIn page, he joined Microsoft in 1997 as a Developer. In 2000, he was hired to lead the development team for Xbox Live and was also the first person to use the online service, which launched (on time) in November 2002.

In 2004, Multerer left Xbox Live to become a Project Manager for XNA in order to meet the predicted “pent-up demand of independent game developers” and build “the first open marketplace on a console.”

Most recently, Multerer led the development of all software on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles. He was also involved on an “advanced media project” which is still “largely secret.”

My Opinion:

Losing anyone with almost 20 years of experience will affect a company, especially someone who has had as much influence as Boyd Multerer. I’m sure Microsoft will have a plan in place to help make the transition as smooth as possible.

Matt Southwell is an Associate Writer for MONG. In addition to video games, he loves Hockey, Soccer and Pizza. Follow him on Twitter, IGN and Facebook.