Report: Xbox Designer Don Coyner Replaced As Lead For Next Xbox

Don Coyner, general manager of entertainment design at Microsoft and the lead on brand and design for the original Xbox and the Xbox 360, is not leading the design team for the next as-of-yet unannounced Xbox console, according to media reports. Cnet is reporting that unnamed sources at Microsoft have revealed that Coyner will not lead the design and experience group for the next Xbox, with one source suggesting that Emma Williams, who led development on the latest Xbox interface update, has replaced the industry veteran. As part of the development of the Xbox 360, Coyner is acknowledged as the mind behind the console's unified design language and Xbox Live improvements. Coyner joined Microsoft in 1995, having worked as marketing manager at Nintendo for over seven years. In 1999, he was promoted to direct of marketing for the first Xbox console, which was released in 2001. Williams, who joined Microsoft in 2003, will be tasked with leading the design strategy for the next Xbox model. While the report suggests that Coyner will remain at Microsoft, it does not indicate what role, if any, Coyner will play in the development of the new Xbox console.