Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it hired technology entrepreneur Blake
Krikorian to help run its Interactive Entertainment Business as the
world's largest software company plans bigger things for its Xbox gaming
console.
Krikorian will be corporate vice president for the
Interactive Entertainment Business, reporting to Marc Whitten, chief
product officer for the division, Microsoft added.
The appointment
follows Microsoft's recent acquisition of Krikorian's company, id8
Group R2 Studios, which had developed an application that allows users
to control home heating and lighting systems from smartphones.
Microsoft
is trying to transform Xbox from a gaming device into a broader service
that controls most aspects of home entertainment, including music,
movies, TV and sports.
"We look forward to his contribution to our
team as Xbox continues to evolve and transform the games and
entertainment landscape," Whitten said in a statement.
Krikorian's
Sling Media which was sold to EchoStar Communications in 2007 made the
Slingbox device for watching TV over the Internet.
Krikorian
resigned from Amazon.com Inc's board in late December after about a year
and a half as a director at the company, the Internet's largest
retailer.
© Thomson Reuters 2012