Microsoft's 'Xbox Live Cop' Has Resigned

The man who was in charge of deciding who should live and who should die (in the world of Xbox Live gamertags, that is) has stepped down from his position after nearly 18 years at Microsoft. Stephen Toulouse will no longer be the Xbox Live policy and enforcement director. Toulouse was responsible for making sure Xbox Live users has a safe and friendly experience, but was known more in the public eye for his reactions to some of the more bizarre Xbox Live user issues.

Toulouse perhaps gained the most notoriety when he tried to respond to angry gamers who disapproved of Microsoft's policy of not allowing gamers to reveal their sexual identity in their username. That is to say, users were not allowed to have the words "gay" or "homo" in their account ID, even if they were using it as a positive means of self expression. Toulouse eventually publicly announced he wanted to banish that policy.

He also presided over decisions like banning all Xbox Live users who gained illegal early access to Modern Warfare 3 or Halo Reach. Toulouse, who has the Xbox Live gamertag Stepto, will step down in two weeks. His reign of terror will not end, though, as someone else will take control of the banhammer. We'll know his (or her) name soon enough.

[via Gamasutra]