Categories

Microsoft Games for Windows Live gets new general manager

  • Posted byby Dean Takahashi
  • Updated
  • 1 min

After laying off its previous general manager last week, Microsoft has named Ron Pessner as general manager of the Games for Windows Live division.

Pessner, who previously worked in MIcrosoft’s Entertainment & Devices division, will head Microsoft’s Windows gaming service efforts. He replaces Chris Early, but his responsibilities will be broader than Early’s. Pessner will work with Dave Luehmann, a longtime Microsoft game veteran and general manager of Microsoft Windows game development.

The company declined comment on other changes. Early was laid off along with an unspecified number of Windows gaming employees. The cuts were announced the same day that Microsoft said it would cut 1,400 jobs immediately and 5,000 over 18 months. Microsoft said it remains committed to Games for Windows, the marketing program aimed at promoting games on the PC.

Written by

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.