More fuel to the next-gen fire....

The next generation Xbox will launch in 2013, according to a CNET source said to be working within Microsoft's Xbox team.

Multiple sources also informed the tech site that there's a new face responsible for Xbox brand and design leadership as Microsoft moves towards launching Xbox 360's successor.

Don Coyner, who had guided that strategy since Xbox's inception over a decade ago, and most recently served as general manager of entertainment design at Microsoft, has reportedly taken on a different role at the company.

Emma Williams, who led the launch of the new Xbox 360 dashboard as general manager of Xbox Experiences, has apparently assumed Coyner's former position.

Microsoft refused to comment on a potential Xbox 360 successor or personnel changes.

The firm has long spoken of its ten-year plan for Xbox 360, which launched in late 2005, but that doesn't rule out a successor launching during the period, according to European Xbox boss Chris Lewis, who said in August:

"We think we're a little over halfway with the life cycle of the console, but that's not to say there won't be an overlap. I'm not going to announce specifically or talk about timing. But you could imagine there could be overlap, it depends. We're not being specific about the next generation at this stage."

Microsoft is rumoured to be planning to make the first official announcements about Xbox 720 at the CES expo in January 2012.