Gamespot have posted a Q&A with Seamus Blackley about his recent departure from Microsoft. Here is some of the Q&A:

GameSpot: What were the reasons for your resignation?

Seamus Blackley: I'm completely blown away by the amount of attention it's received. I thought I'd slip out the door and go make some games, but I guess that was pretty naïve. I'm just a gamer--the reason I was doing all the press and talking to all the developers, and the reason we made the Xbox is because I'm a gamer and a game developer. It's been really frustrating for me to be talking about other people's games and to work with these great game developers worldwide, see what they're doing, and not be making games--it's hard. [The resignation] is something I've wanted to do for a while.

GS: Do you think that announcing your resignation so close to E3 leaves the wrong message to current and prospective Xbox owners?

SB: It's never really a good time to leave from that standpoint. My decision was a long process. The perspective that I've had visiting every developer and publisher and seeing all the stuff they're doing is that it's really cool. It's frustrating that more innovative titles don't get done because publishers won't take more creative risks and developers sometimes fail to execute on really cool [ideas]. I was talking about that with some industry veterans a few months ago in the context of trying to get exclusive titles for console launches. Everybody had the same trouble [Microsoft] did--[Sony] had a lot of trouble getting exclusive content for the PS2, and [Nintendo] had some trouble. With the current publishing model, it's hard for publishers to take big risks and to support new technology or new types of ideas. It's safer to do sequels. So I was thinking that I could make a new property that would change some of that and come out with some really cool products. I went back to Microsoft and started talking to publishers, developers, and potential partners for this [project] and the enthusiasm was totally incredible and shocking. Especially after the GDC (Game Developers Conference), it got to a point where they said, "Listen Seamus, we have to make a decision. Are you going to come do this with us?" To some extent our hand was forced because we have to announce a company before E3. That's why the timing is the way it is and I guess I'm an idiot for thinking people wouldn't try to come up with conspiracy theories about it. Our PR people will tell you that I really didn't think it was that big of a deal, but I was wrong--I owe people dinners.