On Friday we reported that Microsoft Creative Director Adam Orth caused a stir on Twitter. Responding to anger regarding rumors of the Xbox 720 requiring an Internet connection to function, he tweeted that people should "Deal with it," because "That's the world we live in."

Naturally, people weren't pleased with Orth's comments, even though he didn't directly mention the Xbox 720 at all. In order to try and settle the situation down, Microsoft issued a statement apologizing.

"We apologise for the inappropriate comments made by an employee on Twitter yesterday," read the statement, published by Major Nelson. "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."

The apology will surely be welcome, especially to those who felt Orth insulted anyone not living in a big city. He wrote, "Why on earth would I live there?" when asked about people living in more rural areas.

"Sorry, I don't get the drama over having an 'always on' console,' Orth originally wrote. "Every device now is 'always on'. That's the world we live in." He then added the hashtag #dealwithit.

"Those people should definitely get with the times and get the internet. It's awesome," he said when someone pointed out that many Xbox 360 owners don't have an Internet connection.

Unsurprisingly, Microsoft refused to comment on the source of all this controversy, which is the rumor that the Xbox 720 will require an online connection to play any game at all. It's expected the company will reveal the Xbox 720 in June at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, though it's possible Redmond will hold a special event earlier to do so. The console is thought to launch sometime this holiday season.