Investigators Politely Ask Black Ops Pirates to Quit

[The Funslinger]

posting on facebook? clever.

another way of dealing with this would be to track the offending IP signals, and replace all the AI in the game with uber complex, impossible to beat AI, and have the controls skip randomly. When they go online, the controls skip, and the cross hair moves slightly off target one in four times when they try to shoot someone. After about a month, send a message saying someone from cybercrime will come to retrieve the game, and take any information they may possess, and only then will they be able to play properly with a legal copy when it is released.

Xbox has been known to possess the ability to do these kinds of things, such as the reset of halo reach player's profile if they used illegal means of getting credits.

 

[Outlaw Torn]

Why would anyone pay several hundred dollars for a Treyarch game? They should have locked that person away for stupidity.

 

[RvLeshrac]

Well at least it's worked, although I don't see why everyone gets so uptight about companies trying to sue people.

Sure, it doesn't work, but they're still thieves that have the potential to cost them a lot of money so you can hardly blame the companies.

Pirates are pathetic.

1) It doesn't work.

2) It doesn't work.

3) The original source for the game is typically an employee of the company itself.

5) It costs taxpayers a fortune in court costs (Judges, juries, these things are not inexpensive).

6) It increases the load on the justice system, causing more people to fall through the cracks.

7) It doesn't work.

 

[lacktheknack]

When one pirate was giving IP Cybercrime trouble, the investigators simply called his mother.

That's a low blow... but it's also absolutely hilarious.

 

[tmujir955]

Whoa what?

Activision is approaching the piracy problem with sanity?

Say it ain't so!

 

[DaggerOfCompassion]

Well, I was considering pirating BO (hurr hurr), but now I won't. Still won't buy it, but won't steal it either.

Activision/Blizzard, if you are reading this, good for you. This is the first thing you've done in a long time I approve of.

 

[Woodsey]

Well at least it's worked, although I don't see why everyone gets so uptight about companies trying to sue people.

Sure, it doesn't work, but they're still thieves that have the potential to cost them a lot of money so you can hardly blame the companies.

Pirates are pathetic.

1) It doesn't work.

2) It doesn't work.

3) The original source for the game is typically an employee of the company itself.

5) It costs taxpayers a fortune in court costs (Judges, juries, these things are not inexpensive).

6) It increases the load on the justice system, causing more people to fall through the cracks.

7) It doesn't work.

If you bothered to read my second paragraph you'd probably realise your post is entirely unnecessary.

 

[Dr. Whiggs]

But Kotick is the spawn of the devil and must be purged!!!!

 

[Cousin_IT]

Fight the power!

Also, lol at the guy who paid several hundred bucks to get a copy early.

 

[oppp7]

Truthfully, if a game developer asked me not to buy their games used, I wouldn't. More people should be trying these kinds of tactics, instead of the over the top BS they normally do.

 

[dbmountain]

I feel sorry for the type of person that feels it is necessary to pay "a few hundred dollars" just to get a videogame early

 

[Blimey]

Okay, to be honest, I gotta give the "Man" respect for this one. The mature route they're taking, instead of simply suing everybody, is really impressive. Good on you guys. Seriously.

 

[mjc0961]

It's strange that Activision of all companies is fine with asking nicely and calling moms. Kotick just went from Satan Spawn to kindly old lady who knits sweaters. WTF.

 

[vrbtny]

It's strange that Activision of all companies is fine with asking nicely and calling moms. Kotick just went from Satan Spawn to kindly old lady who knits sweaters. WTF.

WTF? My thought exactly. Wasn't Kotick.... like insane game producer #1 a couple of days ago. Now he's suddenly doing something reasonable?

God help us all.

 

[Woodsey]

Pirates are pathetic.

How?

Care to explain why you think so?

"Hey, instead of funding someone's livelihood so that I may use this product legally, I'm going to download it for free so that they don't see a penny."

And yes, I am aware that some people pirate games as a demo, but the number of people that say they do that and the number of people that actually do do that is not the same.

 

[L3G0kees]

I think it´s brilliant, let´s start calling every pirate up I´m sure there will at least be a 90% drop in piracy

 

[dbmountain]

Why are people giving Kotick and Activision credit for this? As far as I'm concerned, the investigation firm should be the ones receiving credit for their approach