Xbox Live Architect Leaves Microsoft After 18 Years

Eric Neustadter, an 18-year Microsoft veteran who spent 14.5 of those years on the Xbox team, has left the company. His last day at the Redmond technology giant was today, October 23.

"It's been an amazing ride," he wrote on Twitter. "So long, and thanks for all the Gamerscore!"

During his time at Microsoft, Neustadter held a number of positions. As outlined on his LinkedIn page, these include:

• Architect, Xbox Live Operations
• Gaming Ninja, Xbox Live Operations
• Director of Architecture, Xbox Live Operations
• Operations Manager, Xbox Live Operations
• Operations Program Manager, Xbox Live Operations
• Senior Consultant, Microsoft Consulting Services
• Consultant, Microsoft Consulting Services

According to Microsoft's Major Nelson, Neustadter's gamertag, e, was the first ever created. It was created on August 13, 2002.

Xbox Live has grown considerably over the past decade in terms of size and significance. For Microsoft's latest financial period, Xbox Live had 39 million active users, up 28 percent compared to the same period last year. In addition, Microsoft has announced that it will be Xbox Live numbers, not console shipments, that it emphasizes in its quarterly reports when talking about Xbox.

Neustadter's departure from Microsoft comes amid a round of layoffs that affected around 1,000 people, according to The New York Times. It is unclear, however, if Neustadter's exit is in any way related.

GameSpot has contacted Microsoft in an attempt to get more details regarding Neustadter's departure.