Almost a year after Don Mattrick's high-profile exit from Microsoft's Xbox division and the organizational shake-up that ensued , Microsoft will soon change leadership for its Devices and Services group, which includes Xbox and first-party game development, as well as Surface and Windows Phone hardware.

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According to an internal memo posted by Techcrunch , Microsoft's current head of Devices and Services, Julie Larson-Green, will be taking on a new role within the company as Chief Experience Officer of the Applications and Services group. Larson-Green will be replaced by Nokia executive Stephen Elop, who was also at one time a contender for Steve Ballmer's role as CEO. Although Elop's career at Nokia as CEO was marred by significant losses, he was vital to the company's close alignment to Microsoft's Windows Phone efforts and eventual acquisition.It's worth noting that Elop was also rumored to be in favor of spinning out Microsoft's Xbox business and other products like Bing if deemed nonessential to the company's strategy as part of his CEO bid.While his appointment will not take effect until Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia closes sometime this spring, Elop and Larson-Green have already begun preparing for the transition.

Scott Lowe is IGN's resident tech expert and first-person shooter fanatic. You can follow him on Twitter at @ScottLowe