Looks like the gears are grinding at Microsoft, and the house of Xbox might be working on just another “major gaming franchise” we don’t yet know about, as mentioned in a new career opportunity ad seeking an Art Director.
Microsoft Studios is looking for a Senior Art Director for a major gaming franchise. A Senior Art Director is a highly experienced industry visionary, capable not only of driving visual quality across the franchise, but also innovating the standards and processes of MS Studios through broad-reaching initiatives.

Managing a team of artists and art directors to define and maintain the Studios quality bar, this senior leader possesses expert communication and negotiation skills, working with both the internal development team and external partners; furthermore, they are able to adapt management and communication styles to accommodate multiple challenging situations and personalities.

Synthesizing both theory and praxis, they find innovative new ways to push the aesthetic direction of interactive entertainment. A champion of quality, first and foremost, their deep experience in art production for modern games also facilitates collaboration with Design, Development, Production, Marketing, and Outsourcing to deliver world-class visuals on schedule and within budget.

In this case the most interesting part isn’t really what’s written in the ad, but what is not there. Whenever Microsoft hires for a major franchise that has already been announced, that franchise is explicitly named, whether it’s Forza, Halo, Gears, Fable or something similar, or at the very least the studio involved is indicated.

The lack of such an indication in this ad probably means that the “major gaming franchise” hasn’t been announced yet, and Microsoft wants to keep its nature under wraps for now.
Interestingly enough, the ad also mentions “in-depth mastery of 2D and 3D art” between the requirements, possibly meaning that the franchise involves a mix of both styles.
E3 is getting closer and closer, and we’re very possibly going to know where this and other crumb trails lead by then.

Posted: Apr 27, 2014 7:42 pm
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/04/26/microsoft-working-on-another-major-gaming-franchise/