I'm not sure what the timeframe has to do with it:

If I had a conversation with someone where I was perceived to have mocked my fans and then that person shared that with the world at large thus instigating a tidal wave of fanboy rage, I'd probably spit out my drink and get started on damage control as quick as I could hit speed dial.

That said, I think it's all much ado about nothing but, then, I'm a bit past the point where comments from execs at any company anywhere upset/surprise me and/or affect me personally.

Last week Ryan wrote on Bungie's website that the team was disappointed by Microsoft's last-minute decision not to unveil the game.

Before Mattrick even said Bungie laughed. There is no damage control here just Mattrick looking like a douche.

Um, the OP and the thread title (and most of the posts here) are specifically about the alleged laughter and whether Ryan did or whether Mattick made the whole thing up...right?

Yes. So why would someone express their dissapointment with a decision immediatly and then laugh about it later like it was no big deal and then say "no we never laughed we always thought it was shady"

What I'm saying is Bungie always stated their feelings and stuck by them. Then Mattrick said they laughed about it.

You expect me to believe Bungie is playing damage control?

Yeah they may have a separate event, but M$ still shoulda shown 1 of the FOUR, count them FOUR, Halo titles in development at the minute ( Halo wars, Halo 4, Peter Jacksons Halo game ang Lego Halo)........ Man Halo is a whore and Micro$ofts the pimp

 Lego Halo was a april fools joke and isnt Peter Jacksons Halo called Halo Chronicles.

Bungie shouldnt wait for m$, jsut announce it. They arent owned by m$ anymore. If needed get a new publisher.

Yes, based on the information in the Eurogamer article I do.

Here's what Mattrick said at E3:

"[Ryan] just laughed and he said, 'Boy, just a sign of growth inside the business, we agree'."

And here's what Ryan said to Eurogamer:

"Bungie is always concerned first and foremost with our fans. Whenever we are prevented from exceeding their positive expectations it is not a laughing matter." 

Nowhere does he state that "I didn't laugh"--he doesn't even address the comment by Mattrick directly--he just goes on to say that it's "no laughing matter." Which, based on the response by Halo fandom, it certainly wasn't.

Now, you can believe what you want about Bungie and how much they only have the best interests of their fans at heart (which is likely true), but I have a bit of a hard time getting, from these exchanges, that Mattrick has somehow been proven a liar or that he's even worse than originally suspected which means that, if he isn't a liar, that Ryan did, indeed, laugh and is, indeed, performing some damage control.

It's a Halo game. Microsoft kind of owns the franchise.

M$ i$ the be$t publi$her out there...