The company will be replacing him with Terry Myerson

Mar 18, 2014 08:26 GMT  ·  By

Video game publisher and hardware maker Microsoft announces that the chief product officer working on the Xbox One team, Marc Whitten, is leaving his position at the company in order to occupy the exact same post at wireless speaker manufacturer Sonos.

In an official announcement on the Xbox Wire, the executive states, “Xbox is so special because of the amazing team I’ve had the opportunity to work with and because our fans are the most incredible fans on the planet. It has been the highlight of my career to work on a product so loved.”

The chief product officer says that he trusts the rest of the team and that the future of the Xbox One and the exclusive games associated with it both look bright.

Marc Whitten joined the team in 2000 and has worked on the original Xbox, the 360 and the Xbox One, while also contributing to the development of the Xbox Live service.

Despite his leadership position he was also approachable and many of console users have played with or against him online.

Neither Microsoft nor the executive has offered any clear reason for his decision.

Phil Spencer, the leader of the Microsoft Studios, states, “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Marc for more than a decade and he has always led Xbox forward with a focus on our fans and delivering a platform that developers and creators can embrace to deliver incredible games and entertainment. We wish Marc well, while looking forward to the next chapter of Xbox.”

Terry Myerson, who is currently the executive vice president overseeing software and experiences for Windows, phones and the Xbox platforms, will take over Marc Whitten’s position.

Marc Whitten will remain known under the gamertag notwen on the Xbox Live service, where other gamers will continue to be able to play with him.

At the moment, the Xbox One, which was launched in November, is selling a smaller amount of units than the rival PlayStation 4 from Sony, which has gone over the 6 million units mark.

The launch of Titanfall, the first-person shooter from developer Respawn Entertainment and publisher Electronic Arts, is supposed to help balance the market, but official sales numbers will only be offered in a few weeks.

The pre-launch process for the Xbox One was marked by some issues and Marc Whitten might have left Microsoft in order to distance himself from those problems.