UPDATE: Xbox: Microsoft’s X07 Canned

UPDATE: just in from a Microsoft UK rep, ''I can confirm that we are not hosting an X0 event this year, but it is not accurate to say it was cancelled - it was never confirmed in the first place. We review how we demonstrate our fantastic games and gaming experiences every year, and this year we have decided to highlight blockbusters like Forza 2, Bioshock, Mass Effect and of course Halo 3 on an individual basis rather than have one large event.''

Microsoft has cancelled its plans for its gaming-focused 'X07' event, according to Aaron Greenberg, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Xbox Live group product manager.

“There’s not a real X07 this year, but I think we’ll figure out some way to talk about 2008 sometime in a different event or a different type of program,” told the SquadXP podcast.

Since 2001 the X0’ events have been Microsoft’s own annual (extremely lavish) events, where the company set out its stall for that year’s coming Christmas and beyond. SPOnG will always fondly remember stumbling around Dutch ‘coffee shops’, Spanish theme parks (free rides!), French fashion mogul’s mansions and other strange and exotic venues on the Microsoft ticket.

Perhaps the $1billion-plus earmarked to fix all those broken Xbox 360s has eaten into the events budget this year?

SPOnG has spoken with a UK PR rep at Microsoft this morning who confirmed for us that X07 will not be happening this morning. We should receive details on the whys and wherefores shortly, though we suspect that the fact that it was (a) costly and (b) increasingly seen as a press ‘jolly’ that was hard to justify after the big three trade shows through the summer and early autumn (E3, Leipzig, TGS).

More on Microsoft’s plans to replace the big gaping hole that is the not-X07 soon.