Jonathan Blow to Microsoft: Stop the Lies

Jonathan Blow, indie game designer of Braid and developing exploration-puzzle game The Witness, publicly criticized Microsoft, calling their claim to 300,00 Xbox servers ‘a bluff’ and kicking off speculation that Microsoft is deliberately lying to the public about the new Xbox One console.

The tweet that started it:

@stestagg I can spin up 10000 virtual servers per host. They would just all suck. Saying 300k when they are virtual is a lie.

— Jonathan Blow (@Jonathan_Blow) May 25, 2013

Now that he’s caught some attention; are there legitimate grounds to his accusations?  What are the repercussions of the server architecture proposed by Microsoft?  What would happen in the event of an internet outage?  With an always-on DRM and requiring a connection to the cloud for enhanced gameplay, will the console have the ability to render complex situations and advanced physics in the event of a disconnect from the internet?

 

Is the public being manipulated with false marketing?  Can we officially call the Xbox One reveal a PR disaster at this point? Microsoft will certainly be facing a barrage of questions regarding their plans during the upcoming E3 conference on June 10th!

 

You can share your thoughts in our comments section as we develop more information on these concerns.