Xbox Boss Marc Whitten is Leaving for Sonos

The Xbox One’s life so far has been anything but smooth, and the console already lost one leader when Don Mattrick left Microsoft for Zynga. Now another is jetting the company for a different job: according to Engadget, Marc Whitten is headed to Sonos to become Chief Product Officer after spending 14 years on the Xbox team.

The Whitten move is just the latest in a string of departures that began after Satya Nadella became CEO, replacing longtime chief Steve Ballmer. Stephen Elop will take over the hardware division that includes the Xbox product line, but who will step into Whitten’s shoes? That remains to be seen.

Whitten did pen a nice note to fans, which Microsoft posted on its Xbox site. An excerpt:

Since the beginning, it’s always been about gamers.  In my heart, I am a gamer and Xbox has been my family. While today I am announcing my departure from Microsoft, I have the utmost confidence in this amazing team and our products.

It sounds like Whitten is confident that the Xbox team will continue down the right path. Things might have been a bit shaky pre-launch, and the first few months after release were a bit barren in terms of games, but the situation does seem to be getting better. Titanfall has been extremely well-reviewed and could become the system-seller the Xbox One desperately needs. And there’s a nice selection of triple-A titles in the pipeline for the next few months.

Microsoft has also released some much-needed operating system updates for the Xbox One, and the company has pledged to address concerns like the quality of Xbox Live Games with Gold titles, and the disparity between retail and digital game prices.

How do you feel about Marc Whitten leaving Microsoft for Sonos? Will the Xbox One stay on track or will the console suffer after losing its leader? Drop us a line below with your thoughts.