Microsoft Won't Ban "Legitimate" Early ODST Players

[Andy Chalk]

Microsoft Won't Ban "Legitimate" Early ODST Players

Microsoft is looking to crack some skulls over the month-early leak of Halo 3: ODST [http://www.bungie.net/Projects/whvidldshbyjsdo/default.aspx] in France, but says "legitimate customers" who play the game online won't be banned from Xbox Live.

Halo 3: ODST isn't scheduled for release until September 22 but at least one retailer in France apparently didn't get the memo and started selling it two days ago, very possibly setting a new record for the most egregiously broken street date ever. Microsoft, naturally, wasn't too happy about this turn of events and promised much punishment for anyone involved.

"We are investigating a very small breach in our distribution process around the early delivery of Halo 3: ODST units," Microsoft said in a statement to Kotaku [http://kotaku.com/5346774/microsoft-taking-action-against-those-who-buy-and-play-halo-3-odst-early].

"We are also investigating Xbox Live accounts that show activity related to Halo 3: ODST and will take action against those we believe have procured copies of the game illegitimately," the statement continued. "We have nothing further to share at this time."

An ominous warning to be sure, but as it turns out, not quite as heavy-handed as it sounds. In a follow-up message on Twitter [http://twitter.com/Stepto/status/3591340634], Stephen Toulouse of Microsoft clarified the statement. "We will not be banning legitimate customers from Xbox Live who play early," he wrote.

In other words, even though it's a month early, if you paid for the game then you won't be hung out to dry for it. I wouldn't expect quite the same generosity for whoever it was that sold it, though.

via: VG247 [http://www.vg247.com/2009/08/28/early-odst-players-wont-be-banned-as-long-as-they-bought-a-copy/]


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[Katherine Kerensky]

I'm not really suprised France released it early :|

or more accurately, some unnamed shop in France.

 

[Legion]

I hate it when people get games early, they are always so smug about it, and always feel the need to post spoilers.

 

[GamerLuck]

Here i was expecting Microsoft to wip out the massive ban-hammer and all they do is get out the ban-rubber-mallet...

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

Here i was expecting Microsoft to wip out the massive ban-hammer and all they do is get out the ban-rubber-mallet...

I was hoping they would.
why does it seem to me that Microsoft (Praise be out lords and masters[/sarcasm]) doesn't give a damn about what goes on under their noses? they don't even read messages properly :|

 

[tehroc]

Here i was expecting Microsoft to wip out the massive ban-hammer and all they do is get out the ban-rubber-mallet...

Why? It's not like its actually the fault of the purchasers (majority of buyers are parents, they dont know street dates and such).

 

[plastic_window]

Nice bit of accidental hype for ODST then. Somewhere there will be someone who is super jealous of the people in France who have an early copy of the game.

Does this happen that often? I got my copy of Dead Space 3 days earlier than we Brits were meant to, but aside from that I've never heard of this happening.

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

Nice bit of accidental hype for ODST then. Somewhere there will be someone who is super jealous of the people in France who have an early copy of the game.

Does this happen that often? I got my copy of Dead Space 3 days earlier than we Brits were meant to, but aside from that I've never heard of this happening.

Blockbuster always sells games at least 1 day earlier than the release date for the whole country.
or at least the one up the road from me does.

 

[Angron]

they cant really punish the early players anyway, if you didnt know much about games, saw it and said, 'hmm, looks good ill buy it' you cant then be told u cant play it cause of their error...well...the shops error...

altho these 'accidental' early releases are all too common now...

 

[GamerLuck]

Here i was expecting Microsoft to wip out the massive ban-hammer and all they do is get out the ban-rubber-mallet...

Why? It's not like its actually the fault of the purchasers (majority of buyers are parents, they dont know street dates and such).

A) Because I figured they were really going to put thier foot down, get truely angry, all that good stuff. Sometimes its nice to see a company get assertive.

B) Because in the banning process they would probably screw up and bann legit people, causing an outcry from gamers and a nice little squabble that would be fun to watch... Other's suffering makes me giggle sometimes, and this would be a great one for that.

 

[Bigeyez]

While it's funny that it happened a month early it's not really that surprising. Especially in the U.S. where even gas stations are selling video games nowadays it's really not that hard to get games early.

I was working at a local 7-11 when Halo 3 came out and everyone at my store was selling it weeks before the release date simply because they didn't know any better.

I would think a similar situation happened in whatever store it was in France. Chances are the people there just didn't know any better.

 

[Asehujiko]

I hate it when people get games early, they are always so fucking smug about it, and always feel the need to post spoilers.

Now you know how PC gamers feel about every single game with a staggered launch.

 

[Sir Ollie]

The exact thing happened to Halo 3 funny enough.

 

[Legion]

I hate it when people get games early, they are always so fucking smug about it, and always feel the need to post spoilers.

Now you know how PC gamers feel about every single game with a staggered launch.

I do indeed, as a person who also owns a PC. I am still waiting on some of Fallout 3's expansions to come to the PC.

 

[DamienHell]

If they have it out already, why not release it?

 

[asinann]

I hate it when people get games early, they are always so fucking smug about it, and always feel the need to post spoilers.

Now you know how PC gamers feel about every single game with a staggered launch.

I do indeed, as a person who also owns a PC. I am still waiting on some of Fallout 3's expansions to come to the PC.

Which ones I have all of them on PC.

 

[Legion]

I hate it when people get games early, they are always so fucking smug about it, and always feel the need to post spoilers.

Now you know how PC gamers feel about every single game with a staggered launch.

I do indeed, as a person who also owns a PC. I am still waiting on some of Fallout 3's expansions to come to the PC.

Which ones I have all of them on PC.

Broken Steel and Point Lookout have only just been released in the UK and I believe the spaceship one is yet to be announced.

 

[StarStruckStrumpets]

Here i was expecting Microsoft to wip out the massive ban-hammer and all they do is get out the ban-rubber-mallet...

And with the power of Microsoft, the skies opened. Thor descended from his hallowed halls and swung his almighty hammer down upon them, sending their souls to Valhalla. They did indeed die in battle...just not with Thor. They were too busy pretending to be badass with their Johnson characters in Fire Fight.

Really, I'm glad that they're being tolerant. It's nice to see that not every single world-wide gaming superpower won't activate it's Death Star over something this small.

 

[Captain Pancake]

Well, it is france, after all...