Microsoft has issued an apology after one of its male employees allegedly made a joking reference to rape during a live demonstration at the Xbox One launch.
There was outrage on social media sites including Twitter when the comments were made at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) conference during a demo of the “Killer Instinct” game.
When a male producer is seen to be annihilating his female opponent he was heard to tell her, to much laughter from the audience: “Just let it happen. It’ll be over soon.”
However the spur-of-the-moment comment angered many on Twitter.
Comments included:
- ‘Wow. This is really gross. Male overpowering a female in a game, so of course, rape joke. Good one, Msoft,’
- ‘Oh my god. One of the people just made a rape joke onstage and the audience actually liked it. That’s sick,’
- ‘Even if it was unintentional, Microsoft should’ve realized they shouldn’t make a rape joke in an environment already toxic with misogyny,’
Microsoft Studios corporate vice president Phil Spencer issued a statement in a bid to defuse the row.
He said: “Yesterday, during the Xbox E3 briefing, one of our employees made an off the cuff and inappropriate comment while demoing ‘Killer Instinct’ with another employee.
“This comment was offensive and we apologize. At Microsoft, being open and respectful with others is central to our code of conduct and our values.
“Bullying and harassment of any kind is not condoned and is taken very seriously. We remain committed to make gaming fun for everyone, and in that effort, we must lead by example.”
Via: Daily Mail
Follow @Chattopatrick