July 10^th, 2004 (12:00am) - Jon Kimmich, former Microsoft Game Studios lead project planner, has announced that he is leaving the company to join developer Day 1 Studios to be producer and director of business development at the studio. At Day 1 Studios one of Mr. Kimmich’s first duties will be to lead a development team on the development of a next-gen title.

"I am one of those lucky people whose hobby and career are the same," commented Kimmich on his new role. "I’ve always admired Day 1’s talented staff, their commitment to product quality and their management style. Together we can produce some extraordinary results, sure to impress both our publishing partners and our loyal gaming fan base."

Before joining Day 1, Kimmich spent over fifteen years at Microsoft, and his involvement at Microsoft Game Studios has included helping in the establishment of Gas Powered Games and Big Huge Games, spearheading the acquisition of FASA Interactive and Bungie, and securing intellectual property and development talent prior to the launch of the Xbox.

Day 1 Studios is the development studio behind MechAssault and its sequel for Microsoft’s Xbox. The studio has already announced that they are already in development with a game for the “Xbox 2” and it is very likely that this next-gen title Mr. Kimmich is leading development on could very well be this title, or at least one of them. The studio is one of Microsoft’s key external developers along with the likes of Bizarre Creations of Project Gotham Racing fame and Bioware, the developer of the critically acclaimed Knights of the Old Republic and the highly anticipated Jade Empire. It has been suspected that Day 1 Studios has been on of the first developers to receive “Xbox 2” development kits.