XBLA main man jumps ship

In somewhat surprising news, Greg Canessa, the big guy behind Xbox Live Arcade, has left the Microsoft compound for PopCap Games. For those unaware, Greg was a big deal for Microsoft and was key in making sure Xbox Live Arcade was a success. Why is he leaving? Next Gen found out:

“That being said, XBLA is now established and the business is out of its infancy. While I love Microsoft and Xbox 360, I’m an entrepreneur at heart and I love creating and defining new businesses. I’m also a huge gamer, and getting back into the game development space is important to me. And finally, I miss the nimbleness and agility that a small company can offer.
 
“This is what attracted me to PopCap. Of all the companies out there, PopCap gets it like no other when it comes to making awesome, broad appeal games…Honestly, I think we are looking at what could be the next Blizzard or EA in the game industry with PopCap, and I want to be a part of that.”

Canessa’s new role at PopCap games will be as VP of video game platforms.