retirement
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Logic signs seven-figure Twitch deal days after 'retiring' from music
Mere days after announcing that his upcoming fifth album “No Pressure” will be his last, rapper Logic has reportedly signed a hefty partnership deal with game streaming site, Twitch.
AT&T's telecoms chief is retiring amid industry upheaval
As the telecom industry is going through a seismic shift, the head of AT&T Communications is stepping down. John Donovan set his retirement date for October 1st and the company will name a successor soon.
Sony chairman and former CEO Kaz Hirai is retiring
Chairman Kazuo Hirai, who guided Sony through some difficult times over the last five years, has announced his retirement from the company. "Kaz" was appointed CEO and president of Sony back in 2012, shortly after it lost $6.4 billion in 2011. After slashing costs and refocusing the business on gaming and imaging, he brought Sony back to profitability, with the company earning $6.7 billion in fiscal 2017. Hirai stepped down from his CEO role shortly afterwards, handing the reins to CFO Kenichiro Yoshida.
Record-breaking astronaut Scott Kelly retiring this April
Astronaut Scott Kelly, the International Space Station's selfie king, is retiring from his post at NASA on April 1st -- no foolin'. The American record-holder for most time spent in space will spend his foreseeable days still working on research following his year aboard the ISS, NASA writes, and will continue to provide medical samples at regular intervals.
'Half-Life' writer Marc Laidlaw leaves Valve after 18 years
If you've been holding your breath for Half-Life 3 over the past 12 years, we have two questions for you: How are you still alive? Can you handle more disappointment? Marc Laidlaw, an 18-year veteran of Valve Software and the lead writer of Half-Life, Half-Life 2 and its two subsequent episodes, has left the company. News of his departure broke on Reddit after user TeddyWolf posted screenshots of an email exchange with Laidlaw (which Eurogamer has since verified). In the email, Laidlaw confirms his "retirement" from Valve.
Retired NASA probe brought back to life after 27 years drifting in space
The last time ISEE-3 fired its engines, Madonna was moving up the charts, the stock market was booming and President Reagan was busily denying that he'd secretly sold weapons to Iran. After that final gasp from its thrusters, in February 1987, the International Sun-Earth Explorer probe would have drifted into permanent retirement -- if a $150,000 crowdfunded project hadn't come along to save it at the last minute. That project has just scored it first big success, by remotely reawakening the 36-year-old craft's engines and altering its course in order to make it easier to communicate with. Keith Cowing, who's co-leading the private group in charge of the resurrection, blogged that it was "all in all, a very good day." If the next steps go equally well, the idea is to reconfigure ISEE-3's onboard computers and sensors so that they can be used for a bit of citizen science during remaining two-month, four million-mile journey back to earth.
Report: Xbox Europe VP Chris Lewis retiring
Chris Lewis, vice-president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business for EMEA, is retiring from the company this year, MCV reports. Joining Microsoft UK in 1989, Lewis spearheaded the company's Specialist Center reseller program in Europe, and later served as the company's regional vice-president for retail sales and marketing. Lewis took on his role at Xbox Europe in 2008, helping to promote and expand the Xbox 360's presence across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Xbox chief marketing and strategy officer Yusuf Mehdi notes that Lewis departs the company this year in order to "focus on his other business and personal interests." "[Lewis] has been a distinguished leader for our Xbox team in Europe - overseeing the launch of the original Xbox, Xbox 360, Kinect and most recently Xbox One, and growing the business significantly across the region," Mehdi said. "We wish Chris nothing but the best, and we thank him for everything he's contributed to Xbox and Microsoft as a whole over the past 25 years." [Image: Microsoft]
Steve Ballmer says he couldn't change Microsoft fast enough
Steve Ballmer's announcement that he would retire from Microsoft came as something of a surprise, and left many wondering whether his eventual exit is voluntary. Thanks to an interview with the outgoing CEO at the Wall Street Journal, we now know that it is -- although it's coming after intense pressure. Ballmer explains that the company board of directors has been pushing him to speed up Microsoft's transformation into a devices and services company ever since January. By May, he decided that his own way of thinking was slowing down the transition; he was the "pattern" that had to break. New leadership might reshape the company at a faster pace, Ballmer says. While the success of his strategy will depend heavily on just who takes the reins next year, it's clear that the chief executive is willing to sacrifice a lot to keep Microsoft healthy... including himself.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer retiring within a year
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will retire from his position at some point during the next 12 months, the company announced this morning. The timing of Ballmer's departure is dependent on the process of finding his replacement, which is currently ongoing. In the meantime, Ballmer will continue his duties as usual. The search for Ballmer's replacement is being helmed by a special committee, which includes Chuck Noski, Stephen Luczo and good ol' Billy Gates. The committee is considering applicants from both inside and outside the company, which means that now is the perfect time to submit your resume. Microsoft's press release didn't give exact requirements for the position, but Ballmer graduated magna cum laude from Harvard so we're going to guess that at least some college is required. It also probably helps if you're familiar with Excel.
Google Latitude shuts down August 9, but Google+ location sharing will go on (and on)
Checking in to your favorite places is a great way to let people know when you're somewhere important, but there are plenty of in-between times when you might want close acquaintances to know where you are so they can tell when you got stuck in traffic or got home safely. That's when Latitude comes in -- or, perhaps we should say, came in. As part of its Maps redesign, Google is sending its Latitude service the way of Google Reader. Latitude gets lost on August 9th, less than a month from now, and all of its various location-centric APIs will wander offline at the same time. Additionally, Google is removing check-in functionality from Maps, asking that you use Google+ instead, which is also where you'll have to turn if you want to share your location with friends -- a feature not currently enabled in the iOS version of the app. Google promises that functionality is "coming soon," so in the interim please tell your significant other the same when they ask what time you'll getting home from work.
Breakfast Topic: Where will your character rest for the last time?
Back in the era when playing an MMO was an all-or-nothing proposition, choosing a final logout location could be an emotionally overwrought event. Today, however, players drop in and out of games with regularity. We may skip patches or even expansions that don't particularly appeal to us. We may temporarily step out of Azeroth to focus on real-world goals. We may fall out of love with a character and pick up an alt, only to return months or even years down the line. Even so, I confess to remaining sentimental about where I log out before an extended (or final) absence. I can still tell you exactly where each of my EverQuest characters is camped out, and I've bookmarked a couple of YouTube videos that run past those areas so that I can occasionally recapture their spirit even without access to the game. I'm a little less attached to logout spots for my WoW characters simply because I use nearly all of them at one point or another for screenshots or in-game contacts for WoW Insider. After this many screenshots, they've ended up scattered across some fairly odd spots. Where will your main character log out for the very last time? Is it someplace you've grown comfortable with over the years? Somewhere representative of that character's adventures or character? A familiar spot behind the counter of a favorite vendor or banker? Or perhaps, like the screenshot above, somewhere holding a tinge of tragedy?
Sony's Stringer to retire in June
Sir Howard Stringer announced that he will retire from his position as Sony's chairman in June. Stringer told a Japan Society lecture Friday that the move would allow him to pursue "new opportunities I've been presented with lately," according to the Financial Times.Stringer stepped down from his role as Sony's president and CEO in February 2012, when he was replaced by Kaz Hirai, before he became the company's chairman of the board of directors in June 2012.
Microsoft Research head Craig Mundie to retire in 2014
Microsoft Research boss Craig Mundie will step down in 2014, after working over 20 years in both Microsoft's security and R&D departments. The research arm has been run by Mundie since 2008, where he's been responsible for some pretty interesting projects, from early glimpses of Redmond's future to real-time multilingual translation. The day-to-day running of the department will be transferred to former chief technical strategy officer Eric Rudder, while Mundie will continue to advise CEO Steve Ballmer. According to the Seattle Times, the move is line with Microsoft's plans to focus on mobile and web-based developments, while the new role might give the veteran Mundie a little more time to work on his Japanese.
Sony Network Entertainment president Tim Schaaff retires, House to fill in
Tim Schaaff, president of Sony Network Entertainment, will retire on December 31, to be replaced by Andrew House, Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment. House will keep his position with SCEI, and Schaff will become an external director on the SNEI board of directors.The SNEI president manages online services, and Schaaff was president during the 2011 PSN hack. He appeared before Congress to present Sony's security plans at the height of that particular scandal. House became group CEO of SCEI in September 2011 when Kazuo Hirai left that position for a promotion to chairman."Under the leadership of Kaz, and Sir Howard Stringer before him, Sony gave me tremendous support to build a global team to coordinate and lead the company's network service business," Schaaff says. "Together we created something of significant value that will be an important part of Sony's future. I'm grateful to have had this unique opportunity, proud of the commitment my team has demonstrated, and encouraged about Sony's prospects in this strategic area."
Sony Network Entertainment prez Tim Schaaff retires, will remain on board of directors
Tim Schaaff came over to Sony from Apple back in 2005 with a mission of aligning its vast consumer electronics and entertainment interests, and today the company has announced he's retiring from his post as Sony Network Entertainment President at the end of the year. Schaaf's responsibilities will be taken over by current Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House to start 2013, although Schaaf will retain his seat on Sony Network's board of directors. In place and SNEI prez since 2010, he was around for the infamous PSN hack and subsequent outage in 2011, calling it a "great experience"... that he would not like to do again, of course. While Sony has made great strides in reorganizing the way its disparate arms work together since '05 (remember Sony Connect? No one else does either.) his departure comes amidst new company head Kaz Hirai's "One Sony" turnaround efforts along the same lines. A rebranding of PlayStation Network to Sony Entertainment Network hasn't pushed the Music and Movie Unlimited properties to the top just yet, nor connected devices like its tablets and phones -- we'll see if this executive shuffling has any effect on the company's fortunes going forward.
Cliff Bleszinski quits Epic Games, leaves us with an Unreal feeling
Fall must be the season for sea changes in the game industry. Just weeks after BioWare's founders retired, key Epic Games veteran and Design Director Cliff Bleszinski (known to many as just CliffyB) is hanging up his hat. He simply describes it as taking a "much needed break," which makes sense when you see his development experience: he joined Epic's crew with Dare to Dream Volume One in 1993 and has nurtured virtually every major (and often minor) game franchise at the company since, including the Jazz Jackrabbit platformers, untold numbers of games in the Unreal line and most recently the Gears of War series. Bleszinski hasn't said where he's headed next, although it's hard to imagine him switching professions like the two BioWare doctors -- for many, he's synonymous with certain eras of first- and third-person shooters. Wherever he goes, we wish him the best of success.
HBO boss Bill Nelson announces retirement, Richard Plepler will assume the throne
After five years as king of the HBO castle, CEO Bill Nelson has announced he's leaving the company to retire at the end of the year. During Nelson's near 30-year career, he bounced through a string of corporate roles before becoming top dog in 2007, subsequently overseeing the launch of the digital service HBO Go. While it might be impossible to replace such a commanding moustache, we're sure current co-President Richard Plepler will do a fine job when he takes the helm. He's responsible (in part) for bringing shows like Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones to our screens, after all. Enjoy your retirement Bill, and be glad you left on your own terms -- some aren't so fortunate.
BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk retire, to exit the game industry
BioWare co-founders Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka collectively announced their retirement today from the studio they founded nearly 20 years ago, as well as from their positions at parent company Electronic Arts. Each is leaving the game industry altogether, with Muzyka heading into philanthropy, and Zeschuk into the world of craft brewing. Muzyka reflected on his years in game development and management in a blog post. "It's not often that you can truly say you were able to pursue and achieve your dream job; I know how lucky I am to be able to say that now, in my early 40s," he said. Zeschuk was similarly reflective. "Building BioWare over the years with Ray and the many other people involved was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I'll cherish it always," he wrote. The two former doctors founded Bioware in 1995, and developed iconic titles like Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and most recently, Star Wars: The Old Republic (an MMO). BioWare was purchased by Electronic Arts in 2007, and its name has since spread to a variety of EA's other studios.
BioWare founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk announce retirement
The doctors... are out. BioWare announced that Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, co-founders of the studio, are retiring from the gaming biz. The two have been instrumental in the creation of many hit RPGs, from Baldur's Gate to Mass Effect. For us MMO fans, they're best-known for helming the ship that brought us Star Wars: The Old Republic. The two are taking a break, perhaps indefinitely, from game creation and management. Muzyka is looking to engage in charities and social work, while Zeschuk is going to dive into projects involving craft beer. "This has been an incredibly difficult decision to make; after thinking about it for many months, I made the decision to retire from videogames back in early April 2012 -- at that time I provided six months' notice to EA, to help enable a solid transition for my teams at BioWare," Muzyka wrote in his farewell letter. "This decision isn't without significant pain and regret, but it's also something I know I need to do, for myself and my family. I've reached an unexpected point in my life where I no longer have the passion that I once did for the company, for the games, and for the challenge of creation," Zeschuk said in his. The two maintain that BioWare is in good hands and will continue to excel going forward.
BioWare co-founders Greg Zeschuk, Ray Muzyka retiring from industry
Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka, co-founders of BioWare in 1995, are leaving the studio to pursue careers outside of the video game industry. Zeschuk and Muzyka have written blogs explaining the situation.Muzyka intends to enter the entrepreneurship field, writing, "I believe strongly in the power of free enterprise to enable sustainable change, so my next 'chapter' will likely focus on an entirely new industry, something exciting, different and frankly downright scary – investing in and mentoring new entrepreneurs, and more specifically, the field of social/impact investing."Zeschuk describes his fading passion for the video game industry, noting that the people he's worked with over the years still inspire him. "After nearly twenty years working at BioWare I've decided it's time to move on and pursue something new. This decision isn't without significant pain and regret, but it's also something I know I need to do, for myself and my family. I've reached an unexpected point in my life where I no longer have the passion that I once did for the company, for the games, and for the challenge of creation."That "something new" may be brewing craft beer, Zeschuk says."After my departure I'm going to be spending significant time with family and friends, as well as pursuing some personal passion-driven projects related to craft beer. The main project I will be working on is a web-based interview show called The Beer Diaries where I interview notable brewers and showcase their beers. If things go well, I'll work on other beer-related shows, apps and projects. If not, I'll have drunk a lot of tasty beers and may be back in games or even something else completely different. Ultimately time will tell."Contacted for further comment, EA corporate communications simply pointed us to the blog post by the two doctors. All EA would say is that both are retiring form the gaming industry and both execs offer heartfelt thanks to their BioWare teams and EA.
