Gaming has been one of the most important elements of Apple’s software for quite some time, and the company continues to focus on making it one of the best options in the mobile space. New hires can certainly help with that.
Variety initially had the report this week, detailing one of Apple’s biggest new hires to date. Nat Brown is one of the co-creators of the Xbox, Microsoft‘s original video game console for the home. Since his time at Microsoft he’s worn many different hats within the video games and tech industries, including serving as Vice President of Technology at MySpace, and, most recently, working on the virtual reality (VR) team at Valve.
Brown shared the news on Twitter, including a quick thread on the big change in his life:
ohai! so today I start at apple. a little thread if you're interested…
— Nat Brown (@natbro) July 29, 2019
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, Brown did not go into any great detail about what he will be doing. Brown’s passion for platforms and graphics and technology suggests the easy bet could be the incoming Apple Arcade subscription service. This platform will have over 100 games available on a rotating basis, with players able to enjoy titles on their iPhones, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
However, considering Brown’s VR experience with Valve, it’s also possible that he will be part of the team working on the oft-rumored augmented reality (AR) glasses. At this point it’s possible that Brown will have his hands on a variety of different products within Apple’s walls.
Either way, this is a big hire for Apple, and Brown should be a welcomed addition to whatever teams he works with moving forward.