There is no way to make this sound good. A mere six months after snatching him from Valve, Microsoft has let go of Jason Holtman. Holtman was hired by Microsoft to help bolster their PC gaming division.
In his previous role in Valve, Holtman was Director of Business Development. He helped in the integration of Steamworks, Steam distribution, and development on the game engine Source.
Clearly, Microsoft bagged a key acquisition in Holtman, who could have helped bring back PC gaming, by simply replicating what he did for Valve, but that’s not happening now. Holtman may have simply been lost in the shuffle as Microsoft itself underwent massive restructuring within the last two years.
To be fair, Holtman could have helped work on the Titanfall PC port, and other upcoming Windows titles. It just seems a lost opportunity that he isn’t sticking around.