Last year, Google invested in Zynga and Ngmoco, acquired Slide and Jambool, and unveiled games intended for the Chrome Web Store in rapid succession. Now, the search giant may be ready to take another game-related step, as it’s hired Kinect developer Johnny Chung Lee to join a special projects group.
Additional details are scarce. Indeed, with respect to his new position, Lee only wrote on his blog, "I have left Microsoft to join a special projects team at Google." Then Lee’s "About Me" section indicates his new official title is "Rapid Evaluator."
We take that to mean he’ll be in a position to approve or veto lots of different ideas or products.
Here’s a bit more info regarding Lee’s previous achievements and goals, anyway. He wrote, "In 2008, I graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction. My research interests are in exploring novel interface technology that can influence the lives of many people."
Also, if you run a Google search on Lee’s full name, some interesting stuff involving Wii hacks comes up.
It should be interesting to see what happens next. Although Google hasn’t accomplished much in terms of gaming (the Pac-Man Google Doodle probably represents its crowning achievement to date), Lee may be able to help the company make some significant strides.