DirtyDMan
08-24-2010, 06:18 AM
Microsoft's most valuable videogame franchise continues to find its games leaked on the internet weeks before the official release date.
Halo: Reach, Bungie's last title, found its way online over the weekend and has since been flooding video streaming websites YouTube and Justin.tv. This shouldn't surprise anyone, though, as nearly all of the developer's games have been leaked early in the past. Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 3: ODST found ways into gamers' consoles before they were supposed to.
Internet leaks like these continue to plague the games industry, and publishers are going to great lengths to stop them by implementing advanced digital rights management strategies. Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford, whose team created the PC version of Halo: Combat Evolved in 2003, said leaks such as this are tough on developers.
"The bigger the game, the bigger the leak and the bigger the heartbreak for developers," Pitchford told IGN this afternoon. "We make entertainment. Our purpose in life is to try to entertain the world. When we work for years on something great and a couple of douche bags spoil it for everyone... Well, that's just uncool.
"Bungie is so great and has given us so much. I believe they deserve the highest degree of respect. Let's wait for launch," he added.
Microsoft told us last week the company was "aggressively investigating" the leak of Halo: Reach. Microsoft declined to comment further when asked again this morning. Bungie has yet to officially comment on the matter.
Posted below are the date and cause of each of the leaks for Bungie's Halo games. There are no recorded incidents of Halo: Combat Evolved being leaked, the first title released in the series in 2001, so the game was omitted from this list.
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/111/1115272/Halo2_header_1282606638.jpg
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/111/1115272/halo2_inline_1282607072.jpg
Release Date: November 09, 2004 (Xbox)
Leak Date: October 13, 2004
How it leaked: Downloadable versions of the Halo 2 allegedly leaked online to piracy sites. The source of the leak was never confirmed, but the belief is the illegal code may have surfaced during the localization process in Europe. The pirated copies were PAL versions that included French text.
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/111/1115272/halo3_header_1282606622.jpg
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/111/1115272/Halo_Inline_1282607169.jpg
Release Date: September 25, 2007 (Xbox 360)
Leak Date: September 21, 2007
How it leaked: Nearly a week before the release of the game, illegal copies surfaced on pirating and file-sharing websites. The game was also being sold early at certain stores in the UK. The full 6.14 gigabyte file of the game was playable on modified Xbox 360 consoles.
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/111/1115272/HaloODST_header_1282606606.jpg
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/111/1115272/odst_headline_1282607232.jpg
Release Date: September 22, 2009 (Xbox 360)
When it leaked: August 28, 2009
How it leaked: What Microsoft called a "a very small breach," Halo 3: ODST went on sale early for some lucky gamers in France almost a full month early from the game's official release. Microsoft said it would not take action against those who purchased the game early, such as banning certain Xbox Live accounts.
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/111/1115272/reach_header_1282606656.jpg
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/111/1115272/HaloReach_inline_1282607285.jpg
Release Date: September 14, 2010 (Xbox 360)
Leak Date: August 20, 2010
How it leaked: The source of the leak is still unconfirmed, but it's believed a group of modders cracked Microsoft's web security to download a copy of the game originally made available for game reviewers on Xbox Live Marketplace. The modders originally claimed they would not release the game to the public. However, the following day streams of the game began appearing online and pirating websites started distributing the game illegally.
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/111/1115272p1.html
I just enjoyed reading this article and thought some of you would as well... Plus I find it funny how people fig out ways to leak things before they are released...
Plus its not like Microsoft isnt going to still make millions from this game so I dont feel bad when I read this... For people like you and me that dont have mod xbox360. Still have to buy the game to play it... only a few % of people know how to do this so... Plus they usually keep it to themselves....
Halo: Reach, Bungie's last title, found its way online over the weekend and has since been flooding video streaming websites YouTube and Justin.tv. This shouldn't surprise anyone, though, as nearly all of the developer's games have been leaked early in the past. Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 3: ODST found ways into gamers' consoles before they were supposed to.
Internet leaks like these continue to plague the games industry, and publishers are going to great lengths to stop them by implementing advanced digital rights management strategies. Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford, whose team created the PC version of Halo: Combat Evolved in 2003, said leaks such as this are tough on developers.
"The bigger the game, the bigger the leak and the bigger the heartbreak for developers," Pitchford told IGN this afternoon. "We make entertainment. Our purpose in life is to try to entertain the world. When we work for years on something great and a couple of douche bags spoil it for everyone... Well, that's just uncool.
"Bungie is so great and has given us so much. I believe they deserve the highest degree of respect. Let's wait for launch," he added.
Microsoft told us last week the company was "aggressively investigating" the leak of Halo: Reach. Microsoft declined to comment further when asked again this morning. Bungie has yet to officially comment on the matter.
Posted below are the date and cause of each of the leaks for Bungie's Halo games. There are no recorded incidents of Halo: Combat Evolved being leaked, the first title released in the series in 2001, so the game was omitted from this list.
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/111/1115272/Halo2_header_1282606638.jpg
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/111/1115272/halo2_inline_1282607072.jpg
Release Date: November 09, 2004 (Xbox)
Leak Date: October 13, 2004
How it leaked: Downloadable versions of the Halo 2 allegedly leaked online to piracy sites. The source of the leak was never confirmed, but the belief is the illegal code may have surfaced during the localization process in Europe. The pirated copies were PAL versions that included French text.
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/111/1115272/halo3_header_1282606622.jpg
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/111/1115272/Halo_Inline_1282607169.jpg
Release Date: September 25, 2007 (Xbox 360)
Leak Date: September 21, 2007
How it leaked: Nearly a week before the release of the game, illegal copies surfaced on pirating and file-sharing websites. The game was also being sold early at certain stores in the UK. The full 6.14 gigabyte file of the game was playable on modified Xbox 360 consoles.
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/111/1115272/HaloODST_header_1282606606.jpg
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/111/1115272/odst_headline_1282607232.jpg
Release Date: September 22, 2009 (Xbox 360)
When it leaked: August 28, 2009
How it leaked: What Microsoft called a "a very small breach," Halo 3: ODST went on sale early for some lucky gamers in France almost a full month early from the game's official release. Microsoft said it would not take action against those who purchased the game early, such as banning certain Xbox Live accounts.
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/111/1115272/reach_header_1282606656.jpg
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/111/1115272/HaloReach_inline_1282607285.jpg
Release Date: September 14, 2010 (Xbox 360)
Leak Date: August 20, 2010
How it leaked: The source of the leak is still unconfirmed, but it's believed a group of modders cracked Microsoft's web security to download a copy of the game originally made available for game reviewers on Xbox Live Marketplace. The modders originally claimed they would not release the game to the public. However, the following day streams of the game began appearing online and pirating websites started distributing the game illegally.
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/111/1115272p1.html
I just enjoyed reading this article and thought some of you would as well... Plus I find it funny how people fig out ways to leak things before they are released...
Plus its not like Microsoft isnt going to still make millions from this game so I dont feel bad when I read this... For people like you and me that dont have mod xbox360. Still have to buy the game to play it... only a few % of people know how to do this so... Plus they usually keep it to themselves....