Microsoft wields the BanHammer on Leakers

Microsoft wields the BanHammer on Leakers

*UPDATE* Microsoft has released a statement in regards to the bricking of consoles. “To be clear, if a console is suspended from Xbox Live for a violation of the Terms of Use, it can still be used offline, Microsoft enforcement action does not result in a console becoming unusable.” So some confusion remains as to weather the consoles in question are still usable.

Original Story

Recent screenshot leaks of the upcoming (yet unannounced) Gears of War remake have forced Microsoft and VMC Games (the company in charge of testing the game) to hand some fairly hefty punishments out.

Kotaku unearthed a letter which went on to say that as the people responsible broke not only the NDA agreement that was in place but also Microsoft’s terms and conditions the people responsible will have their Xbox Live access revoked and their Xbox One consoles locked out for a period of time based on the severity of the breach.

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This means that those responsible for the leak will have their consoles bricked for an undetermined amount of time. This is a fairly tricky area here. On one hand the people responsible broke an agreement they had in place and should be punished but on the other hand discovering that Microsoft has the ability to lock down a system remotely is a little scary. Something that potential Homebrew software makers will now be extremely worried about.

What do you think? Does the punishment fit the crime or is Microsoft flexing its muscles to set an example? One thing is for sure, the precedent has been set and it will be interesting to see how future leaks are treated by all games companies.

 

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