600,000 pirate gamers banned from Xbox Live
Over 600,000 Xbox Live accounts have been banned from the service, their users having breached the service’s terms of use by modifying the console hardware.
The modifications allow gamers to circumvent the console’s Digital Rights Management technologies and run pirated discs, and can feature game-hacks to give pirate gamers an unfair advantage whilst gaming online.
In a statement, Microsoft said that, “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,”
Anyone with an Xbox Live-connected modded console will find the message “Your console has been banned from Xbox Live” when trying to connect to the service. They will still however be able to play their pirated games offline.
