An Xbox 360 gamer has managed to get hold of a copy of Grand Theft Auto VÂ before its official release date and has been posting Vine videos with footage from the game, which have spread to NeoGAF.
One of the videos contained his gamertag and Microsoft have quickly dealt a blow and have banned his entire console from Xbox Live, meaning he’ll have to buy a new one.
The Rockstar policy on posting copyrighted material from its games is very clear:
Pre-Release Footage: No pre-release leaked footage of any kind: Any posting of in-game footage from leaked copies of the game prior to its official release date will be taken down, regardless of how the game was obtained. This includes “early unboxing” videos.
Obviously we will not be linking to the videos since they could be considered to contain spoilers, but what do you think of the swift wielding of the ban hammer? Has justice been dealt or is it overkill from Rockstar and Microsoft?
Source: NeoGAF
CR8ZYH0RSE
HA!
tactical20
Bit harsh if general member of public a few days early, but if it’s a review copy and someone from The Guardian or something, then fair enough.
Gingerballs1
this wont be a review copy it will simply be a chipped xbox game people have been on it for at least 2 weeks already.
so even if they have seen his name in the video it does not mean they can actually ban his xbox if it is chipped because they dont seem to be able to even stop chipped boxes going online in the first place but who knows !???!
TheTruth
Complete nonsense. It was a retail copy he had, the leaked rip versions surfaced on the 13th September (ripped on the 12th) and not a day before.
Gingerballs1
ha ha just looked up the video and its a legit copy delivered a week early so i dont think he should of had his xbox bricked just maybe banned for a month or something true he was a fool posting but its not like the games are delivered gift wrapped in the terms and conditions so how are we mere mortals supposed to know o well 1 more ps4 pre order probably on the way xD
II_Al_CoHoLiC_II
Well chances are it will be out next gen and this guy will be giving Sony £350 and £40 a year for ps+. Who’s lost out ? MS with their overkill polices etc or the gamer. Think we all know the answer there.
bunimomike
Yeah, the gamer! Microsoft won’t be harmed by this one bit.
yiddo
If he got the game early he should just play it instead of wanting internet fame and leaking images etc. He completely deserves it. It’s only a few days from release, everybody can wait unless they are rabid, frothing manbeasts.
3shirts
Total external locus of identity. He isn’t happy having the game, he only feels value when others are impressed.
Classic
yiddo
I know for a fact if I had GTA V this early, I wouldn’t leak a damn thing on the internet. Most I would do is tell my friends that I have it, and get them round to look at it.
hazelam
that may be true, but that’s not sufficient justification for getting his console banned though.
in my opinion.
uprentiss
its completely sufficient for getting his console banned…..we all payed the 60 dollars why should he get an early version and not everyone and if he did then he has got it illegally and again had to upload pics to try to get fame or ruin peoples first play through of it…
rock star does not just make rules for money they do it because they want every one to experience for the first time the same way
hazelam
if it was a pirate copy, then fair enough.
but if he just got a copy early then that’s just not on.
if he broke rockstar’s rules by posting these videos then it’s rockstar who should punish him, take down the video by all means, and if they think it’s serious enough maybe even banning him from the game’s online mode, when they actually launch it, though i’d say even that would be a little harsh if he’s playing a legitimate copy he bought.
but unless this was a pirate version then there’s absolutely no justification for ms banning his console.
and the article doesn’t specify if he was playing a pirate copy.
yiddo
There’s images from the same guy online of him opening the game case. He got it legit. But still, he should not be posting images and video footage of the game.
It is indeed up to Rockstar to punish him though, and thinking about it I suppose a damn console ban is maybe overkill.
uprentiss
Whether it was an original or pirated version he deserves banned…you think just because he got a legit version that he obtained it legally?
joshuarvll
Most people that ordered the game off amazon obtained the game legally because the shipping was just fast. Of course for this individual, we don’t know how he got his hard copy of the game but other people who legally got their copy were getting banned like him. In my opinion, a permanent console ban is just waaaay to much of a punishment. Maybe a month would be about right but I wouldn’t spend my money on a new console
TheShepanator
Dumbledore Dies.
Hartia
I guess Sony is a lot easier…..Sony would’ve been banned for leaking spoilers for the online preorders…
zingwoosh
Totally worth it! I’m serious. After hearing all the BS about how PC gamers are being punished because of the possibility that it will be pirated, and then it gets pirated on a console, I have nearly zero sympathy. I knew this was possible all along, so I’m glad they can now see that punishing one platform is idiotic. That is if they are smart enough to get it… I wouldn’t cry over my XBOX being banned as they are relatively cheap. No I wouldn’t want to lose that money, BUT considering this is the release of GTA5 and it’s a huge event, I would accept the loss on that and buy a new one.
Rockstar: STOP punishing ONE platform (PC). As you see it did not help you.