‘No new Xbox at E3’ says MS PR boss

Microsoft wants you to forget the rumours and scuttlebutt – it is insisting there will be no new Xbox reveal at E3.

According to tweets from Bloomberg news’ technology reporter Dina Bass, Microsoft’s head of corporate PR David Dennis has said there will be no new console to be shown or discussed at E3 or "anytime soon".

Bass’ second tweet quotes him as saying "For us, 2012 is all about Xbox 360".

UPDATE: Bloomberg has now posted a brief story on the Microsoft comment. Click here to read it.

UPDATE 2: The full quote from Microsoft as per Kotaku:

While we appreciate all the interest in our long-range plans for the future, we can confirm that there will be no talk of new Xbox hardware at E3 or anytime soon.

For us, 2012 is all about Xbox 360-and it’s the best year ever for Xbox 360. The console is coming off its biggest year ever-a year in which Xbox outsold all other consoles worldwide. Xbox 360 didn’t just outsell other consoles, it also outsold all other TV-connected devices like DVD players, as well as digital media receivers and home theatre systems.

And in our seventh year, we sold more consoles than in any other year-defying convention.

This year, we will build on that Xbox 360 momentum. With Halo 4, Forza Horizon, Fable: The Journey, and other great Kinect games on the way, our 2012 Xbox lineup is our strongest ever. This year, we will deliver more TV, music, and movie experiences for Xbox 360 – as we’ll make it even easier to find and control your all entertainment.

And this year, Xbox games, music, and video are coming to Windows 8 so people can enjoy their Xbox entertainment wherever they go.

It’s a very firm statement from a company that usually sticks to a ‘no comment on rumour or speculation’ line.

For some time, many have expected Microsoft to unveil a new Xbox at this year’s E3 expo in June.

It’s been conventional wisdom for so much time, in fact, we reported further industry chatter in January that suggested Sony would be preparing a response reveal of its own next-gen games hardware.

GDC rumours last week even suggested Microsoft had hosted a secret dinner for development top brass to detail some of its plans.

Late last week we broke the news that publisher bosses had been briefed to expect the next Xbox to drop optical media storage.

Whether these rumours or others are driven by fact or fiction, many have in the last six months grown to expect that Microsoft will unveil the successor console in June.

But arguably Microsoft doesn’t need a new console reveal to remain prosperous in the year ahead at least. As we reported in our exec interviews last week (and, indeed, in full-length feature in MCV this week), Xbox 360 is heading into its successive year of growth and Microsoft and newly announced games like Halo 4, Forza Horizon and two Fable games are part of its plan to maintain its title as best-selling current gen games machine.

Assuming this more transparent ‘no new Xbox’ agenda doesn’t change, that is.