The eighth generation Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles have been in the local markets for only about more than a half year now, but the talks of the ninth generation consoles have already been making their way through the online gaming community, and it seems like the American platform holder has also started looking for some skilled people to begin the development work on the next Xbox console that is reported to launch sooner than expected.

Microsoft is Already Hiring "Super Creator" to Develop Next Xbox Console; Apparently Aiming Enhance Game Dev Tools Used By Xbox Devs

Sony and Microsoft just launched their glorious PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles, and now it appears that one of the vendors is already looking at the future. Successors to the latest consoles are inevitable, and according to several reports that came earlier this year, the latest consoles might welcome their parents sooner than expected. Sooner or later, we are not quite sure about that, but we do know that Microsoft is seeking an Industrial Designer apparently to start the development work on the next Xbox. This is what the ad, posted by the company, reads:

"The Xbox Industrial Design studio is building a world class in house team. We love entertainment. We live for building transformative entertainment experiences that resonate with consumers. We are looking for passionate designers who want to help us create next generation entertainment hardware for Microsoft.

Primary Responsibilities" "This is a design position within the Xbox industrial design studio. You will be joining a team that drives vision and product development for Xbox hardware programs. The right candidate will be a “hands on” individual contributor that will bring thought leadership, inspirational creative output, and passion to the Xbox entertainment space. In essence, this position requires nothing less than a “super creator”." "As an industrial designer you will collaborate with design team and bring inventive ideas which will have large impact across the Xbox Entertainment Business." "We expect a spontaneous and innovative creative process that takes advantage of consumer insight harvesting, inspiration way-finding, 3d sketching, prototyping, thoughtful consideration of business needs, and understanding of technical considerations. Above all the candidate should have a portfolio that demonstrates the ability to design soulful product experiences that delight consumers."

Note that the ad also lists “intrinsic passion for seamless hardware/software experiences” and “proven track record delivering award winning design” as requirements.

Looking at this ad and assuming that the Redmond-based company is already starting to work on the next Xbox, we really shouldn't really be surprised. Platform holders always start working on their next product soon after the latest one is launched, and team that is assigned with the next job never really sits idle. Basic research on the next product in line normally starts as soon as the previous generation of hardware is shipped, sometimes even earlier than that.

Anyone here who knows a little about flagship hardware development can pretty much bet that Sony and Nintendo are also working on their next product as this post is being written, and before someone jumps to that conclusion, let me clear it out, this doesn't mean that Microsoft has decided to replace the Xbox One console before it completes its lifespan.

In addition to the ad above, Microsoft also posted a second ad for hiring a Senior Software Development Engineer, which clearly means that the platform holder is aiming to improve the current Xbox game development tools used by first and third party developers while creating games for the console.

"The Xbox Platform Developer Experience team is hiring! We own the core development tools for the Xbox console platform, and we serve as a driving advocate for the end-to-end developer customer experience across the program. We are looking for an exceptional SDE to help us take game development tools to the next level." "Game developers, from AAA studios to Indie shops, have unique and exacting needs. Just think about the factors involved: Game titles are only growing in cost and complexity with each new generation. These days the projects will involve scores of engineers and hundreds of artists. They have budgets and production values that rival Hollywood blockbusters. They have 10’s of gigabytes of content, code tuned to get the utmost from our platform, and holiday release dates that won’t move." "The Xbox ecosystem only thrives if these partners succeed. Our goal is to help them make better games, faster."

Of course, these career opportunities can't be mistaken for official announcements, and so until we have something more clear and official, lets refrain from talking too loudly about the next Xbox, and just a thought here, "next generation" in this case might even mean a future redesign of the Xbox One, say the somewhat inevitable Xbox One slim model. Thanks to NeoGAF for the spot.