Adam Orth leaves Microsoft after ‘always-on’ outburst

Microsoft Studios creative director Adam Orth has left the company following his Twitter outburst about always-online consoles.

As reported by Polygon, Orth’s departure was said to be confirmed by two sources, but Microsoft has refused to comment on the exit as it "does not comment on private personnel matters".

The exact nature of his departure is currently unclear.

Orth sparked controversy last week when he stated on Twitter that he didn’t understand the drama surrounding an always-on console, and finished the tweet with the hashtag "Deal with it".

“Sorry, I don’t get the drama around an “always on” console,” he said.

“Every device now is “always on”. That’s the world we live in. #Dealwithit.”

Despite some of his later tweets in an exchange with BioWare senior gameplay designer Manveer Heir being described as friendly banter, Microsoft later issued an apology over the matter, and distanced itself from Orth’s comments.

"We apologise for the inappropriate comments made by an employee on Twitter yesterday," read a statement from Microsoft.

"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."

Orth also later apologised for his comments and any offence it may have caused.

The furor surrounding the tweets follows a number of reports that continue to suggest that Microsoft has opted for always-online functionality for its next-gen console.

It has been claimed that the connection is required to use the new Xbox and play games, even in single player. A previous report also claimed that each disc would come with its own activation code, meaning only the initial user can install and play the game, potentially killing off the second-hand market.