MS man rejects Bay's claims

via Eurogamer


Microsoft has rejected claims by film director Michael Bay that it wants HD-DVD and Blu-ray to fail "so they can be heroes and make the world move to digital downloads".

"I didn't read his comments, although I heard about them, but hey, he's allowed his personal thoughts - I think he clarified some of those thoughts about 24 hours later - but for us we're focused on HD-DVD movies working with great partners, and we wouldn't have that offer for five free movies if we didn't believe in that format," Stephen McGill, Microsoft's head of Gaming and Entertainment UK, told GamesIndustry.biz at the launch of Xbox Live Video Store.

"But we also believe in downloadable content, whether it's music, or movies - it's not about one solution, because one solution isn't going to work for everybody."

Bay had a moan on an "Ask Michael Bay" forum (why, Michael? Just why?) when asked about the high-definition formats his films appeared on. "What you don't understand is corporate politics. Microsoft wants both formats to fail so they can be heroes and make the world move to digital downloads. That is the dirty secret no one is talking about," he wrote.

"That is why Microsoft is handing out USD 100 million cheques to studios just embrace the HD-DVD and not the leading, and superior Blu-ray. They want confusion in the market until they perfect the digital downloads. Time will tell and you will see the truth."

A little while later he wrote on the same forum that he knew what worked best for his film because he, er, made it, and he reckons it's Blu-ray. "But that said," he added, "I don't a care about this format war because I have both formats in my screening room - I'm just filling you in on what people deep in the film industry feel ultimately is going on."