Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Xbox Live GM Dan McCulloch leaving company after 15 years

By

Xbox Live leader Dan McCulloch is leaving after more than a decade at Microsoft.

“After 15 years at Xbox, I announced today that I would be leaving. I made so many friends, learned so much and truly had a blast! I’m extremely excited about the next opportunity in my career and I will be announcing that very soon, you all will be pumped! ;) Thank you!!!” he said in a tweet.

Recommended Videos

After 15 years at XBOX, I announced today that I would be leaving. I made so many friends, learned so much and truly had a blast! I'm extremely excited about the next opportunity in my career and I will will be announcing that very soon, you all will be pumped! ;) Thank you!!! pic.twitter.com/dcbhKCgn8f

— Dan McCulloch 🎮 (@McDanRandom) June 30, 2020

Related

McCulloch didn’t say where he’s going, but from the announcement, it sounds like he could stay in gaming. On his LinkedIn page, McCulloch described his job as Xbox Live chief: “As the General Manager of Xbox Live I’m Currently focused on growing the Xbox Live community to 100M+ users across all devices, managing a P&L of over $1B and leading a cross-discipline team of service and user experience experts.”

Microsoft is at an important, transitional crossroad right now as it prepares to launch its next-generation console, the Xbox Series X, in time for the holiday season this year. McCulloch leaves Microsoft as Xbox Live is seeing historic numbers due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a recent third-quarter earnings call, the company announced it was getting record engagement numbers, with Xbox Live active users getting close to 90 million and Xbox Game Pass subscribers passing 10 million.

McCulloch started at Microsoft in May 2005 as a program manager, where he worked on partnerships with Yahoo, France Telecom, and AT&T. After that, he was involved with Kinect and handled integration and launch titles for the now-defunct peripheral.

He continued to work as a studio executive in the field of emerging products, hiring workers for unnamed Microsoft projects. In 2014, he was put on the Hololens team as a studio manager, and from there he worked on the augmented and virtual reality team. In 2017, he was named to his position as general manager of Xbox Live.

“I now run the Xbox live team that handles scale, reliability, new social features, safety and discovery across console, PC and Mobile,” he said at the time.

With his pedigree, McCulloch is an attractive hire for any game company.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Jon Silman
Jon Silman
How to revive dead companions in Baldur’s Gate 3
Withers offering services to the player in Baldur's Gate 3.

You're given a good bit of leeway during battles in Baldur's Gate 3 before you or a companion actually bites the dust for good. While in battle, if a teammate does take enough damage to drop, they aren't dead then and there. Instead, they will be downed with a chance to roll every turn to get back up. If they roll successfully three times, the battle ends, or you use another character to pick them up, they're good. If they fail that roll three times, however, they will be completely dead. That can be harsh when you've become attached to certain characters and want to further their stories, so you'll be looking for any way you can to bring them back. Thankfully you do have a few options for reviving companions in Baldur's Gate 3, but just like respeccing, they aren't so obvious.
Pay Withers to bring them back

Withers is a friendly undead you can find in a secret room in the Dank Crypt found inside the Overgrown Ruins. After finding and speaking to him in his sarcophagus, he will offer you various services, one of which is bringing back any dead companions. He won't do this out of the kindness of his heart (probably because it isn't beating) and will charge you a heavy fine of 200 gold to do so. Still, that's a small price to pay to bring back a beloved character. Once paid, that character will appear in your camp where they would normally be, so there's no need to go back to their corpse and find them.
Use a scroll of Revivfy or learn it

Read more
Every video game delay that has happened in 2023 so far
The player skates toward the moon in Skate Story.

Few things feel as inevitable in the video game industry as delays. Ever since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, game delays have only become more and more common as developers find previously set timelines unrealistic and adjust their release plans accordingly. More than halfway through 2023, we've already seen some notable AAA games like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Skull & Bones, and Pragmata delayed pretty heavily. Because video game release date delays are so common, it can be tough to keep track of every game that has had its launch date shifted in some way.
That's why, just as we did in 2021 and 2022, Digital Trends is rounding up every game delay that's announced throughout 2023. Here are the high-profile ones that have happened so far, listed chronologically by their new intended release dates.
The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR (March 16)

As Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is one of the best games for PlayStation VR, The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR, Supermassive Games' PlayStation VR2 successor, is a highly anticipated launch title for the upcoming VR headset. Unfortunately, it will no longer make PlayStation VR2's February 22 launch and will instead be released on March 16. On Twitter, a message from Supermassive Games says this delay will ensure that players "receive the most polished, terrifying experience possible" at release. The game was released on that date to mixed reviews.
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key (March 24)

Read more
Is Remnant 2 cross-platform?
Three characters shoot at a boss in Remnant 2.

Aside from the focus on firearms and integrating some randomly generated environments, the Remnant series sets itself apart from other souls-like games mainly with its focus on co-op. Both titles encourage you to team up with two friends to fight your way through the mutated monsters that await. After so many years of progress in terms of multiplatform games incorporating full cross-platform support, you might assume Remnant 2 will follow suit and let you make a group with anyone regardless of what platform they're on. However, the truth may be a bit more disappointing. Before you make plans with your squad, here's what you need to know about Remnant 2's cross-platform support.
Is Remnant 2 cross-platform?

Unfortunately, Remnant 2 does not have cross-platform play between PS5, Xbox Series X or PC -- and there's no word about it being added in the future.

Read more