Peter Moore, head of Electronic Arts' sports division, had questioned the relevance of UK studio Rare in a interview with The Guardian published last week. 

Moore had commented that Rare's skillsets were outdated, "from a different time and a different place and were not applicable in today's market."

Following Moore's statements, Phill Spencer of Microsoft Game Studios promptly defended Rare as an integral part of the Xbox 360's future.  Moore himself used to be an executive with Microsoft's game division and after Spencer's response to his remarks, Moore has changed his tune regarding Rare.

In a new editorial, he quickly redeems himself by praising not only Rare but his former bosses at Microsoft as well:

"I guess you have to work there to truly appreciate what a unique and special company Bill and Steve have built, and I think gamers need to fully appreciate the positive impact that the Xbox consoles, and in particular Xbox Live, have had on our industry.

I worked with a team of people so special and so near and dear to my heart, that not a day goes by where I don't miss them in some way. Same with our studios – the flair and creativity of Rare, the sheer brilliance and focus of Bungie, the game-changing team at Lionhead, and all of the other brilliantly-talented teams that helped drive hardware sales with great software."

Looks like Peter Moore is an expert in pulling his foot from his mouth.  To his credit, he isn't the first executive to make questionable statements that have needed damage control.