Microsoft issues statement apologizing for employee’s Twitter comments on next-generation Xbox

Microsoft has released an official response following a number of tweets from Microsoft Studios creative director Adam Orth yesterday commenting on rumors that the next-generation Xbox will require an always-on internet connection. The employee — who very likely is familiar with the console codenamed “Durango” — said “Sorry, I don’t get the drama over having an “always on” console,” stating that we live in a world where every device is ‘always-on.’

It’s unusual that Microsoft has seen fit to respond to the tweets, reminding people that “this person is not a spokesperson for Microsoft” and it apologized, stating “we are very sorry if this offended anyone.” Even more curiously, Microsoft hardly makes a gesture at denying the always-on rumor, instead saying that this is not “how we would communicate directly with our loyal consumers.” Microsoft is expected to reveal the next-generation Xbox sometime before E3 this summer, however, so it won’t be too much longer before we know for sure.

We apologize for the inappropriate comments made by an employee on Twitter yesterday. This person is not a spokesperson for Microsoft, and his personal views do not reflect the customer centric approach we take to our products or how we would communicate directly with our loyal consumers. We are very sorry if this offended anyone, however we have not made any announcements about our product roadmap, and have no further comment on this matter.