Earlier we reported that UK gaming site Pro-G had been in touch with Microsoft who had told them flat out that playing Halo 3 before launch day would get users banned from Xbox Live, whether or not they play the game while connected to the service. Pro-G has since been contacted by another Microsoft representative, who clarified to the site that the ban only applied to Microsoft employees who played the game early. It seems odd that a representative of the company would make such a huge mistake when talking to a popular gaming news site, doesn't it? I'm suspecting that this might have been a policy that quickly proved so unpopular that it changed in a rapid fashion. Either way, unless you work for Microsoft, game on!
This will almost certainly be a temporary ban such as those applied against people abusing the COD4 Beta. The ban was for only 24 hours and I suspect a similar ban for those who cannot look at sweets without opening the wrapper when mummy said no.
That's such a load of BS (not the article, hat Microsoft are threatening). People are dying to get the game for a long time and the stores slip up and give them out and microsoft is going to hold the gamers responsible?
Even those that have it aren't allowed to play it before release date because as soon as their history shows up on live they will see they've played it? We are in the age where advertising has taught us to be weak and give into temptation, something microsoft will be capitalising on in halo's opening weeks and they think people who get the game can have it sitting beside their 360 for another week without playing?
I could say i'm stunned at this but then I remember it is Microsoft and I just think...same old sh1t different day.
That's an incredibly ignorant move. Consumers have nothing to do with retailers being sloppy (I've seen idiotic employees break street dates before without intending to) and to ban players is an over-reaction.
If they're freaking out that much about the street date (and let's be frank, it doesn't matter that much) they shouldn't ship them out until the day before. When you're going to brag about it breaking sales records, you should be able to afford a few courier shipments.
Microsoft has found a nice way to deal with those breaking street date on Halo3. If you play the game before the official release date they will ban you from Xbox live.
Catalogue retailer Argos has begun selling Microsoft's highly-anticipated Halo 3, a week before the official release. The news comes from the forums of Eurogamer.net, where users have been posting pictures of boxed copies of the game, along with receipts.
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Yeah I am not going to spam articles for DKP but Kotaku has now posted that the ban is only for MS employees as well.