J Allard, known for his role in creating the original Xbox, has now become part of Amazon’s team.
In a chat with The Verge, Allard shared that he’s taken up the position of vice president in Amazon’s devices and services group. While he didn’t spill any beans about his exact tasks, he did mention being involved in dreaming up “new ideas.” His new boss at Amazon is Panos Panay, who used to be in charge of Windows and Surface at Microsoft, as per GeekWire.
During his 20-year stint at Microsoft, Allard played a big role in forming the team that birthed the original Xbox. He also led the charge on developing Xbox Live and the Xbox 360. On top of that, he was the mind behind Microsoft’s attempt to rival the iPod with the Zune. However, he said goodbye to Microsoft in 2010.
Before Amazon, Allard worked briefly with Tommy Tallarico’s Intellivision. He helped finalize the design for the Amico console, but left in the summer of 2020 because it “wasn’t a good fit” for him. Learn more here.
Amazon does have a gaming section, but it’s unclear if Allard will dive into that pool. The devices and services team he’s now part of handles Alexa and Echo products, and the game-streaming service Luna. They’re also behind Project Kuiper, which aims to send many satellites into orbit to improve global internet access.
Sometimes, fans just wonder what amazing things these creative minds will come up with next.
As for Xbox, Microsoft talks about a new console that promises to be a massive technical leap. But so far, it’s all talk with no details on how they’ll do it or when it’ll be out.
