Microsoft apologizes for hiring go-go dancers for Xbox party

Microsoft is apologizing after pictures surfaced on social media of scantily clad entertainers at an X-Box-sponsored event.

The company said it was "unequivocally wrong" for hosting a party with minimally-dressed female dancers during a video game developers' conference that took place Thursday night during the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. The dancers wore abbreviated school-girl outfits while greeting party-goers and dancing on platforms, the Associated Press reported.

Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft's Xbox division, issued a statement in which he said the entertainment "represented Xbox and Microsoft in a way that was absolutely not consistent or aligned to our values." Spencer also said the event "disappointed many people," and he pledged to "do better in the future."

Many people who attended the party criticized the entertainment on social media, saying they were offended and disappointed. Some also noted the irony that, just hours earlier, Microsoft had sponsored a "Women in Gaming" luncheon to promote diversity in the industry.

Spencer sent an email to employees, saying, "I am personally committed to ensuring that diversity and inclusion is central to our everyday business."

"This is unacceptable in terms of how we treat women and how we represent Microsoft, and it undermines the culture we are working so hard to cultivate -- one that is diverse and inclusive and grounded in a growth mindset," said Kathleen Hogan, Microsoft's executive vice president of human resources.

Cox Media Group