HoloLens may not solely focus on gaming, but Microsoft appears to have big plans for games on the augmented reality glasses, and today it's named the man who will oversee those plans.
As revealed in a post on Microsoft's official Xbox Wire website, Casey Hudson has been named the creative director of Microsoft Studios, where he'll oversee development on games for HoloLens and Xbox, among "other awesome projects." Hudson is best known as the creator of the Mass Effect franchise at Electronic Arts subsidiary BioWare, a company he left in August to "take on a new set of challenges."
As revealed in a post on Microsoft's official Xbox Wire website, Casey Hudson has been named the creative director of Microsoft Studios, where he'll oversee development on games for HoloLens and Xbox, among "other awesome projects." Hudson is best known as the creator of the Mass Effect franchise at Electronic Arts subsidiary BioWare, a company he left in August to "take on a new set of challenges."
In a brief interview on the Xbox Wire post, Hudson said his "primary focus will be the creative direction of HoloLens Experiences," though he added that he "will be involved in driving a creative focus for Xbox and Windows gaming."
Hudson, who spent 15 years at EA and BioWare, said he was able to try and early prototype of HoloLens prior to its announcement, though he didn't give any indication of what kind of gaming experiences users can expect with the glasses. The veteran game designer said he will "influence the full-spectrum experience on HoloLens, from hardware to OS, to applications and games," however.
Microsoft hasn't set a release date for HoloLens, though the company has said it will launch sometime "in the Windows 10 timeframe." Windows 10 for computers and large tablets is expected to launch in the summer – possibly at the end of July – followed by a smartphone and small tablet version later in the year. A HoloLens release would likely follow that, possibly in late 2015 or early 2016.