Summary
J Allard, one of the co-founders of the Xbox project in 1999, has joinedAmazon. The online retail giant has been making moves into the video gaming space since 2010, but its ambitions really began to be realized with the release ofNew Worldin 2021, which will be relaunching asNew World: Aeternumon October 15.Amazonalso has a number of other projects in development, both announced and unannounced, including an untitledTomb Raidergame being developed by Crystal Dynamics and aLord of the RingsMMORPG being created in collaboration with Embracer’s Middle-earth Enterprises.
J Allard, for his part, spent more than 20 years at Microsoft, working on a number of recognizable projects. Most notable for gamers was the businessman’s participation in the creation of the original Xbox and the development of the Xbox Live network, as well as recruiting some of the third-party developers whose games went on to make the console so memorable. After thelaunch of Xbox 360 in 2007, Allard became chief technology and experience officer and began work on the Zune MP3 player and eventually the Courier tablet. That unannounced project was cancelled in 2010, and Allard left the company to pursue other entrepreneurial ventures.
GeekWirespotted an update to the businessman’s LinkedIn profile, and Allard has since confirmed withThe Vergethat he indeed joined Amazon in September 2024 as vice president of the conglomerate’s devices and services team. What exactly that means is anyone’s guess, but some are hoping it has to do with gaming. Allard stated that it’s “too early to have anything to say” about his new role, other than that he will be turning his attention “towards some new ideas.” Curiously, the exec will be reporting to Panos Panay, who joined Amazon in October 2023 after 20 years at Microsoft, where he helped create theSurface line of devicesand oversaw the development of Windows 11.
Xbox Co-Founder J Allard Joins Amazon as a VP
Both Allard and Panay therefore have experience working on tablet-type devices, as well as launching major product lines. Just what they will be working on at Amazon moving forward is unclear, and it may in fact have nothing to do with gaming. However, there is of course already discussion on social media about Amazon developing ahandheld to rival the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally, but for now, that’s all just rumors and perhaps some wishful thinking. CEO Christoph Harmann recently stated that the company plans to develop games for the Nintendo Switch 2.
In the meantime, Amazon Games will be busy enough with its handful of upcoming projects. In addition to the aforementionedLord of the RingsandTomb Raidergames in the works at Amazon, the publisher also reportedly has four other unannounced games being developed by Glowmade, Disruptive Games, Maverick Games, and one of its own first-party studios. Another Amazon subsidiary, Relentless, has been silent since its free-to-play third-person shooter,Crucible, was shutdown in November 2020, just six months after launch. Since then, Relentless has been assisting with development ofNew World: Aeternum, so perhaps the studio will reveal a new project after that game ships in October.
