Forza 3, Borderlands early-birds banned

By Robert Purchese Published 19 October, 2009

Microsoft tough on illegitimate owners.

Microsoft is handing out permanent Xbox Live bans for "pre-release title play" of Borderlands or Forza Motorsport 3 - both due out this Friday.

Only illegitimate owners of those games will be punished. If you, somehow, obtained a promotional or retail copy you will not be affected.

"Don't worry folks, anyone who bought a copy early is OK," Sephen Toulouse, Microsoft's law enforcer, Twittered. "In general, if you got a receipt, play away. These are [illegitimate] copies we're hitting."

Forza Motorsport 3 took home the series' third 9/10 on Eurogamer last week. Our Forza 3 review tells why.

Our Borderlands review will be published on Friday, launch day. [Ed's note: Turns out we can run it tomorrow after all, so you'll see it then.]

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About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (36) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • JohnnyWashnGo #1 2 years ago

    Ouch

  • Joco84 #2 2 years ago

    What's betting people with legitimate copies get tangled up in this banning fiasco?

  • miiiguel #3 2 years ago

    or stealth "I'm scared".

  • Paperghost #4 2 years ago

    "In general".

    Not exactly reassuring. Someone asked him a while ago about whose ToS you were under if you posted to twitter / facebook etc while on the xbox - microsoft, or twitter / fb. His answer was pretty much "the service provider of the site you're using....I think".

    Just once I'd like him to give a 100% rock solid answer on something that could potentially affect a genuine customer.
    Edited by 1 at 19/10/09 @ 09:17

  • muscleblade #5 2 years ago

    Great news! I dont think its posibble to get legit copies before the game has shipped. I think MS can spot the difference too.

    I looked at a profile with Borderlands on it. He got the achievement for level 50 the first day he played the game!?

  • peteb #6 2 years ago

    Friday for the Borderlands review? :(

  • ZuluHero #7 2 years ago

    I hope Borderlands turns out to be good - i'm really looking forward to it...

  • RobertFoster #8 2 years ago

    "Our Borderlands review will be published on Friday, launch day."

    Uh oh...

  • RobotRocker #9 2 years ago

    Supposedly MS had a hidden sector on the pre-release copies it sent to members of forza clans and prolific Forza 2 designers so they could fill the auction house with content. Once a pre-release copy was ripped and put online, the sector would tell MS if they were playing the pre-release promo or the shipped version. Since MS had a list of gamertags of who had the game. Anyone not on that list and playing before the ship date to stores got nuked.

    That is the current theory anyway. But generally if you are playing MS games before ship date, you are an idiot.

    /Also a rumour going around that it was actually Saw the Videogame that triggered a lot of the bannings too which would be hilarious.
    Edited by 2 at 19/10/09 @ 09:19

  • miiiguel #10 2 years ago

    The french copy of ODST which got torrented also triggered bans, it was said it wasn't the finished retail code and was leaked on purpose to do the banning dance.

  • hidden_asbestos #11 2 years ago

    Why delay the review, is your copy of Borderlands illegitimate too?
    Edited by 1 at 19/10/09 @ 09:27

  • dingo75 #12 2 years ago

    That is the current theory anyway. But generally if you are playing MS games before ship date, you are an idiot.

    Fixed:
    "But generally if you are playing MS games ONLINE before ship date, you are an idiot."

    Seriously: If you plan to use scene releases you better have a dedicated non-connected XBox for it.
    I don't even have it and I know that. :p

  • Darren #13 2 years ago

    GAME have dispatched my copy of Forza 3 this morning, presumably ahead of the national postal strike on Thursday so there is no risk of me having my account banned because I may be playing it as early as tomorrow?

  • RobotRocker #14 2 years ago

    @ Darren

    Acording to Totillio's twitter, you are fine. If its a legit store bought copy, they will know.

  • deathdealer619 #15 2 years ago

    sometimes i get a game up too a week early, and my xbox aint flashed! The joys of certain retail oulets and family that work there. Sounds like scare tactics to me although untill i finish uncharted 2 no other game will be played that game is extraordinary.

  • cianchristopher #16 2 years ago

    What's up with the Borderlands review on launch day? Is that a good sign or a bad sign? Or no sign at all?

    Past experience tells me that it'll be a bad review, but maybe I'm searching for clues that don't exist...

  • costa_k #17 2 years ago

    Someone wrote that it's not possible to get legit copies before release date.That's bolox.I know people in Greece who bought Forza 3 collector's edition (the one with the keychain) last week.

  • WinterSnowblind #18 2 years ago

    @Joco84
    They've sent out review copies and promo copies to big fan sites months ago. I've not heard of any problems.
    My copy from GAME was sent yesterday and I'm expecting to recieve it tomorrow or Wednesday and I don't expect to have any problems there either.

    They have ways of telling if you're playing an illegal copy, they don't just ban random people who are playing it.

  • meggsy #19 2 years ago

    @ Joco84:

    It's already happened :D [link url=http:// forums.xbox.com/29476424/ShowPost.aspx
    ]http://fo rums.xbox.com/29476424/ShowPost...[/link]

    Game reviewer at X360 magazine with legitimate copy: WTF I'm banned?
    MS: You. Are. A Pirate!

  • metalangel #20 2 years ago

    On the one hand, the lack of a Borderlands review before release worries me - it could mean it's Hellgate London all over again. I almost hope the decorators DON'T finish my living room by Friday so that I can be spared preordering or buying it only to find it's crap.

    On the 'console/online' ban thing... does that affect your gamertag too? Or can you just recover it onto a new console and continue? Because if they've permabanned your console why not just chip it and use it for even dodgier purposes and play nicely on the new one you'll need to continue playing on Live?

  • meggsy #21 2 years ago

    As far as I know, most other reviewers and those with legitimate early copies haven't had this ban from Forza 3 online, which is why you see photomode pics being submitted, and liveries shared.

    It's highly unlikely that the ban is just until launch, some mod has just got a little wild with a banhammer.

    Now if only they can sort out the compression issues with photomode :(

  • miiiguel #22 2 years ago

    @meggsy : while not saying it's the case I know that there are legitimate sites staff members who hack their consoles. (well, I know of one case though, don't want to generalize - and yes, he got banned, which was quite funny).
    Edited by 2 at 19/10/09 @ 11:44

  • dirk_aircool #23 2 years ago

    yeah , the friday Boarderlands review sounds suspect considering how early the Forza 3 review was .

  • andyc1980 #24 2 years ago

    bans normally go on a console as it only costs 800msp for a new tag and a hundred quid for a new box. A few mates got banned for cod world at war anhad to buy a new xbox

  • miiiguel #25 2 years ago

    You need to be logged on to Live to change your GT name, so either the ban is only for the console (which I don't think it's the case) or changing the GT name won't "fix" it.

    And, to kinda prove what I said, a buddy of mine was banned from Halo Matchmaking for dodgy practices, tried the change the GT stunt and it didn't work.
    Edited by 2 at 19/10/09 @ 12:13

  • costa_k #26 2 years ago

    Apparently this guy has a proper copy and still got banned,maybe MS screwed up with the bans?

    http://fo rums.xbox.com/29524419/ShowPost...

  • makeamazing #27 2 years ago

    You will be surprised how the guilty will complain they have a legit copy when they dont (not saying this guy doesnt.. .but Ive seen it all too many times before)... once found out they then say they got a copy from a friend etc etc. Pirates are generally thick muppets.
    Edited by 1 at 19/10/09 @ 13:08

  • cianchristopher #28 2 years ago

    So Borderlands tomorrow instead, ed?

    Left4Dead-meets-Diablo-meets-Fallout3-meets-Crackdown-meets- Deadwood-meets-Zombies-meets-FarCry2-meets-RandyPitchford! Yay!

  • penhalion #29 2 years ago

    Microsoft don't seem to have actually banned any legitimate consoles yet and it's pretty much been proven that those compaining about being banned had either modded their consoles (updated the firmware thinking it can't be traced for some silly reason) or used promo disks that have been registered with a different xbox (again proving that they had no legit right to be in posession of those discs).

    It's a tiny minority of idiots modding their consoles so I'm not sure why the rest of us are concerned with what happens to them. Unless of course the vocal people are simply scared because they have modded their own consoles and are now constantly having to look over their shoulders for the ban hammer!

  • muscleblade #30 2 years ago

    Borderlands is out in the US today so i expect a reviews of Borderlands on metacritic tomorrow. The review in OXM says 85% so i guess the game isnt exactly epic but not bad either.

  • bodypopper #31 2 years ago

    The decision to put up the review on Friday is not down to Eurogamer, chaps...

  • bodypopper #32 2 years ago

    Maybe in the States Mr Ed...
    Edited by 1 at 19/10/09 @ 16:26

  • Murton #33 2 years ago

    So piracy on the 360 is fine as long as you wait until release day before you play. Nice message MS, will that rule apply to all your software in the future?


    That being said though, anyone who tries to play non-legit games online through a log-on service like LIVE is a fool and deserves the ban, it's almost like a "natural selection" for online gaming.

  • CB.Gamestation #34 2 years ago

    Phew. Read the title and thought I would get banned...but luckily I has retail copy :)
    Guys spend the extra on Limited Edition....it's worth it!! Just for the packaging and the keyring! lulz

  • Nephirion #35 2 years ago

    Almost £46 for a fancy packaging and a key-ring signals excellent value for money wtf

  • RustyBullet #36 2 years ago

    I just hope all the robbing f***s get banned. BUT leave legit copys alone.
    The ones that get banned and downloaded the game will get just what they deserve.