Microsoft has announced that it has disconnected an estimated 600,000 gamers who have altered their consoles to allow them to play pirated copies of games. Explaining that of their 20 million Xbox Live consumers a “small percentage” had been disconnected, Microsoft said that tampering with the consoles was a violation of the “terms of use”.
Releasing a statement over the issue Microsoft said “All consumers should know that piracy is illegal and that modifying their Xbox 360 console to play pirated discs violates the Xbox Live terms of use, will void their warranty and result in a ban from Xbox Live. The health of the video game business depends on customers paying for the genuine products and services they receive from manufacturers, retailers, and the third parties that support them.”
They added “We do not reveal specifics, but can say that all consoles have been verified to have violated the terms of use.” The move came after it was revealed that many console owners used third party software or chips which then allowed for unofficial game use. With some software particularly aimed at allowing pirated games Microsoft said that those affected would receive the “Your console has been banned from Xbox” message when logging into their system.
Piracy in the gaming industry is estimated to cost a yearly total of approximately £750m. Meanwhile, those who are banned will still be able to play their consoles. However, they cannot access their Xbox Live account.
