J Allard: Video Interview Summer 2005

Kikizo talks to the face of Xbox 360 about deliberate leaks, expanding the audience, graphical quality, changing Xbox politics, the pre-rendered fiasco, Halo 3, managing a team of 20,000 and the future of Xbox.

The importance of J Allard's role at Microsoft isn't something that needs to be highlighted at the company; the Corporate Vice President is one of the original visionaries behind Xbox and today is the leader of perhaps Microsoft's most critical venture - the one that will open up the entertainment market for the software giant like never before, to an audience bigger than ever before. Xbox 360 is going to be a stunning ride and J is in the driving seat.

So it's only right that J should take a pit stop with Kikizo in Los Angeles to explain what's going on. The great thing about talking to J is he really does know it all; he can talk about everything from the intricacies of programming and middleware, to the XNA development platform on which he's the Lead Architect, the Xbox Live he pioneered, to the business of Xbox, and even those good old videogame things.

On today's agenda:

•   Expanding the gaming audience
•   Managing a team of 20,000
•   Deliberate Xbox 360 leaks
•   Varying quality of graphics
•   Developing the look and brand of Xbox 360
•   "If hypothetically we were to make Halo games in the future..."
•   Changing politics behind the scenes of the Xbox business
•   How to add value for customers
•   The rules about pre-rendered and what's inapproppriate
•   Competitive advantage against the PS3 launch
•   The future of the Xbox business - where is Xbox in 10 years' time?
•   God bless the Internet

It's a killer video interview and mercifully more compact than Kikizo's usual 40-minute epics - an essential download for everyone interested in next generation games.

Our thanks once again to J and the fine folks at Microsoft who helped to sort out this opportunity during a few days that will forever be remembered as... hectic.

Adam Doree
Editorial Director & Interview Boy, Kikizo.com