Ex-Nintendo of Europe exec David Gosen has been hired by Microsoft for their European Xbox team...

David Gosen will be remembered by many Nintendo fans as a man who had a tough job. In charge of Nintendo Europe's marketing during the 'dark period' of the early 2000s (when the GameCube was being beaten to a pulp), he was an unpopular figure among fans. Memorably, he was continuously ridiculed by UK Nintendo magazine NGC, which regularly portrayed him as a silver robot made out of cardboard named 'Go-Sen' who would spout nothing but robotic newspeak.

After leaving Nintendo in August 2004 to work in the mobile games market, he is now returning to the European console business as "Vice President of Strategic Marketing for Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business in Europe", which is largely the same role he had before, except now he's against his former employers. His tasks include expanding the "mass-market" appeal of the Xbox 360 in Europe, as well as looking after the European Xbox Live service.

N-Europe believe Microsoft have made a great choice for the post, as this should help Nintendo immeasurably.