It's not nice to steal from Bill...

[Chewchilla]

Ooops! :o

Stolen 'Halo 2' hits pirate sites
Published: October 14, 2004, 11:44 AM PDT
By David Becker
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Microsoft threatened severe penalties Thursday for those who circulate a stolen copy of "Halo 2," the hotly anticipated Xbox game set to go on sale next month.

Microsoft representatives confirmed that a pirated copy of "Halo 2"--in the French language and the PAL video format used by European television sets--began circulating on the Internet late Wednesday via newsgroups and "warez" sites for swapping pirated software.

"We consider downloading this code, or making it available for others to download, as theft," the company said in a statement. "We are currently investigating the source of this leak with the appropriate authorities. Microsoft takes the integrity of its intellectual property extremely seriously, and we are aggressively pursuing the source of this illegal act."

The original "Halo"--created by Microsoft acquisition Bungie Studios--has been by far the biggest-selling title for the company's Xbox video game console. The sequel to the shooting game is one of the most anticipated game releases of the year and is expected to help cement customer loyalty to the Xbox as Microsoft prepares a new version of the game machine.

Microsoft announced earlier this week that "Halo 2" had "gone gold," meaning the final code was ready to ship to disc manufacturers in advance of the game's scheduled Nov. 9 release.

Microsoft representatives said the emergence of a pirated copy would not change the release date.

Media giant Vivendi Universal was forced to delay release of its highly anticipated PC game "Half-Life 2" late year, after the source code was stolen.

The "Halo 2" theft--which likely occurred at the European manufacturing plant used to press game discs--is considered far less serious, as security systems built into the Xbox prevent loading of unauthorized software. Pirates would need to have an Xbox outfitted with a grey-market "mod chip" to load a copy of the stolen game.

A Microsoft representative urged anyone with information on the source of the pirated game to contact the company's antipiracy division at 800-RULEGIT or piracy@microsoft.com.

[Demolition Man]

I doubt that "Halo 2" leaking out is going to kill the sales. Considering the fact that all the game stores (Gamestop, EB, etc) are no longer taking preorders because they are at their limit (300) alone says how little of a threat this is.

Funny read tho. :lol:

[Danny]

heh stupid miscrosoft don't reliase that they have already sold all of there first shipment of HALO 2 in UK lol...

hhhmmm they say piracy is a huge threat to this game but personaly I don't even think armaggedon would stop most Xbox fans from buying this title... And Yes I have orderd a copy! (in hope that the splitscreen multiplayer mode has been improved so that I don't just play 2 maps which is what heppened in the orignal!)

[Demolition Man]

Trust me with the emphasis on multiplayer with "Halo 2" it will be better overall than "Halo" ended up being (unless you have the PC or Mac version lol).

[Chewchilla]

I'm starting to think that Microsoft and Rockstar are the ones "leaking-out" their "big games" early to generate even more sales of the official versions. :?

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas JACKED
Less than a week before its release, the wildly anticipated crime game has itself been stolen and republished on the Internet.

Less than a week after a pirated version of Halo 2 began appearing on the Web, another of the year's most sought after games has been stolen. Ironically, it also happens to be a game titled after a larcenous act itself. That's right. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has become the latest victim of piracy, with illegal copies of the game, its manual, and its cover appearing on various Web sites.

Late today, Rockstar issued a statement on this latest in a series of unfortunate events. "The proper authorities are investigating the theft and are continuing to investigate all possible leads to ensure there is no further dissemination of our creative content," read the statement. "Downloading, possession and distribution of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, including making the game available on the internet, is theft." Then came this warning from the company: "We take the theft of our intellectual property very seriously and we are and will continue to diligently and aggressively pursue this matter."

For those wishing to help track down the San Andreas thieves, Rockstar also offered the following advice: "If anyone finds information on websites with links to unauthorized downloads, information, scans or videos, please contact us at piracy@rockstargames.com."

Rockstar officials also emphasized the fact that the theft would not affect Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' release plans. The game is due in the US next Tuesday, October 26, and in Europe next Friday, October 29. However, it is already clear that with four of the year's top games--GTA: San Andreas, Halo 2, Doom 3, and Half-Life 2---being posted online before their official releases, piracy is becoming an increasingly common and serious problem for both gamers and the games industry.

By Tor Thorsen -- GameSpot
POSTED: 10/20/04 05:47 PM PST

[Demolition Man]

Pure irony... a game about theft gets stolen online. :lol:

[Chewchilla]

Yet another "official, unauthorized leak."

Too funny! :lol:

Bard's Tale 'leaked'
PR ploy parodies plight of others; takes epidemic of code thefts over the edge, into the realm of humor. But will it play in Los Santos?

You have to hand it to Brian Fargo of inXile Entertainment. He knows how to come down hard on the funny bone.

Fargo has already snared one of the movie industry's funniest front men, Cary Elwes, to voice the lead character in his upcoming Xbox and PlayStation 2 title, The Bard's Tale. But Fargo isn’t waiting for the game to make hoped-for waves among reviewers and gamers. He's loading the dice and playing for laughs with a promise to "follow in the footsteps of other Triple A titles by implementing an official, unauthorized leak."

Which might be considered crass if it weren't so funny.

Calling it "a strategic plan to follow a growing trend," Fargo and the team at inXile are, according to a statement issued to the media this morning, "considering some form of leak of The Bard's Tale."

In truth, the game industry has of late been beset with an increased and unnerving spate of code thefts, leading to a number of upcoming games being hacked and otherwise made available to unscrupulous gamers weeks before their planned release date. Half-Life 2, Halo 2, and most recently, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, have suffered hacks to servers or theft of goods at duplication facilities. The seriousness of those thefts cannot be underestimated. The Bard's Tale "theft" (er, marketing ploy) is not quite that monumental.

Today's "news" from Fargo's southern California outpost pokes fun at the recent news, and quite successfully catapults his game--however briefly--onto the top of the news heap. "It’s unclear how the leak will be handled, if implemented [at all]," the release unhesitantly flip-flops.

InXile marketing director Tom Richardson came clean, saying Fargo himself had come up with the idea. As for Richardson's contribution, he told GameSpot, "In ten years of writing press releases, this is the most fun I’ve had with one."

Time will tell if the game is as amusing as today's publicity stunt. If not, well, the joke could be on Fargo.

Leak or no leak, The Bard's Tale for the Xbox and PS2 is due to retailers October 26.

By Curt Feldman -- GameSpot
POSTED: 10/22/04 08:57 AM PST

[Nectar]

Don't they know that almost every game gets leaked? Jesus, they don't have to print about every game that hits the pirate scene. That's what underground sites are for. Gamespot is now becoming a release site.

[Shane R. Monroe]

www.G4m35P07.com