Microsoft this morning formally unveiled plans for a huge new Entertainment and Devices Division campus in Redmond, first reported here last week. The West Campus project, scheduled for completion in April 2009, will include four new office buildings and three commons buildings with "convenient amenities such as a post office, a mini-spa, a bookstore and 12 food venues," the company said in the announcement.

Of course, given the reference to a bar in the planning documents, the big question is whether the company actually plans to offer one to employees. So that's what I asked when they opened the news conference up to questions.

Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, danced delicately around the issue in response to the question.

"I think one of the things that's really exciting about the buildings as a whole is the amount of open space, internally. I also think when you look across the whole campus, the idea that there is not just a cafeteria, but a food court, an area for there to be social gatherings and things like that on the campus, is actually an important part. Whether people are going to spend time in a pub after work or not is sort of a separate question. But the idea that we would break away from the mold of offices and a cafeteria and think about it more inclusively, I think is what makes the campus so exciting. Without going into the details of the specific plans, I think the idea of doing something new for the employees is what has people captivated."

Bach said it wasn't his job to decide whether to include a pub. Chris Liddell, Microsoft's chief financial officer, then stepped up and addressed the question more directly: "We've made accommodation for that, along with a number of things, but we haven't actually yet decided that we'll do it, or committed to it."

In other words, members of the Xbox, Zune and Windows Mobile teams probably don't need to call dibs on bar stools just yet.