Microsoft Cancels Post-E3 Media Roundtable Discussions?

No open discussion about the Xbox One at E3. That seems to be the message Microsoft is sending about their next generation console. A reporter for the Toronto Sun has openly acknowledged that he received a press message from Microsoft stating that there would not be a roundtable discussion with Microsoft executives for the Xbox One.

Gameranx was the first to catch the tweets from writer Steve Tilley, who wrote publicly...

Well, apparently there's something more important happening somewhere else that prevents Microsoft's executives from being made available to talk openly about the policies of the Xbox One game console. It's only a little thing that caused a global, internet-wide rage fest that spawned a hefty movement from Neogaf and HoldTheLine.

Keep in mind that we were all told that E3 would be the event in which all our questions would be addressed and Microsoft would lay to bed any incorrect or inaccurate reports about the Xbox One game console.

On the optimistic side many gamers/press/etc., are saying that Microsoft hasn't fully finalized their policies and they don't want to create further confusion by laying them out early for something that isn't set in stone.

On the realistic side many gamers/press/etc., are saying that Microsoft has already finalized their policies and they don't want to further put themselves in the dog house by talking about something that's only going to create a negative backlash from the press and gaming community alike. Hence, they opted out of the roundtable discussion.

Personally? I feel as if the E3 that happens the year a console is scheduled to launch is the defining moment that allows you lay out everything that the console will be about. If the policies of simply being able to play, trade, sell and experience games is something that's still in the air five months before the console drops at retail and presumably two to three months before it goes into production, the policies have to be in order if you don't want to royally shoot yourself in the foot.

On the opposite end of the spectrum Sony is looking mighty fine and mighty fit. They've already acknowledged that the PS4 will not be supporting any of the DRM that the Xbox One features and have mostly assuaged all the fear surrounding the PS4's consumer policies. For as far as we're all concerned, the only thing Sony needs to do at E3 is show us games and we're all good to go.

Microsoft, alternatively, has backed themselves into a corner, appointing Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb to take the brunt of the community backlash and have now opted out of going face-to-face with reporters in a roundtable discussion. Hopefully there will still be higher-ups at the company on hand to at least address some of the more pressing matters in an honest, spin-free fashion.