Otto Berkes
Game developer
Class of 2010 Inductee
The idea that Microsoft should create its own gaming console first gained popularity in 1998.
It started when Kevin Bachus, Seamus Blackley, Otto Berkes and Ted Hase formed the company’s first console team, after convincing Bill Gates to support their concept.
The engineers designed and constructed the console, also known as the DirectX Box, as the first made like a PC. Consequently, it brought the capability of a gaming PC to the console industry.
From Otto’s Website:
Otto was born in Hungary and lived in Austria before moving to the United States with his family as a child.
His passion for problem-solving and creative expression led him to Middlebury College where he graduated with a degree in physics and a minor in music performance. While at Middlebury, he developed an interactive software application for the recently-launched IBM PC to analyze radioactive particle emissions.
His first experience as a software developer convinced him that digital technology was his calling. He returned to Vermont and earned an MS in computer science and electrical engineering from the University of Vermont where he earned the Graduate Award.
His involvement in computers was originally sparked by an interest in computer graphics, and he continued that pursuit for the first half of his career.
At Autodesk, he wrote the graphics engine and user interface for the first Windows-based version of AutoCAD. Graphics technology was central to the emerging Windows platform, and he joined Microsoft in 1993 where he led pioneering work in computer graphics both as a programmer and then as a manager. He took on increasingly senior leadership roles, and was one of the four original Xbox founders. During his 18 years at Microsoft, Otto also served as an early champion of mobile computing and paved the way for today’s touch-based devices.
After 18 years at Microsoft, Otto joined HBO to guide a non-technology company through digital disruption, and led the development of the popular HBO GO video streaming platform and the company’s overall digital transformation. During his tenure, he led HBO GO from a nascent effort to one the most popular streaming services in North America.
Subsequently, Otto joined CA Technologies – a $4 billion enterprise software company – to help other non-technology businesses succeed in the digital era. He created the CA Accelerator, an in-house incubator developing new products to address emerging customer needs. He also led CA’s end-to-end subscription business transformation and its strategic vision for the future.
Following Broadcom’s acquisition of CA, Otto founded bog bridges LLC to continue his passion for software.
Otto is the author of “Digitally Remastered: Building Software into Your Business DNA”, a book covering the topic of digital transformation,
He is the co-author on thirteen patents, and is a recipient of the Xbox Founder’s Award, the Emmy Award, and the Edward R. Murrow Award.
Otto is an advisor to Airtime and CoLabs, a director at Acendre, and a trustee for the University of Vermont.
The making of the Xbox: How Microsoft unleashed a video game revolution: