Microsoft is openly courting developers dumped in mass layoffs by cloud gaming service OnLive, hosting a mixer for potential hires at its Mountain View campus. "We are eager to speak to individuals and teams affected by the OnLive transition," reads a description on events site EventBrite. "With the stunning success of Xbox/Kinect and the accelerated growth of this business, we are looking to add key players who want to make a real impact in creating groundbreaking new products and services."

According to the company, positions are available both in Mountain View and at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington. The open call for talent is particularly interesting given Microsoft's history with OnLive — an alleged company document leaked back in June showed that Microsoft had considered OnLive a "potential acquisition target" in August 2010, fearing the consequences for its Xbox business if the company teamed up with a major mobile carrier such as AT&T.