Halo 3: ODST perma-bans begin
Illegitimate owners unmercifully culled.
Microsoft has begun permanently banning Xbox Live accounts and possibly the associated Xbox 360 console of people caught playing "illegitimate" copies of Halo 3: ODST.
"I spy with my little eye some illegitimate ODST players. No early play for you. Commencing perma-bans," Tweeted MS enforcer Stephen Toulouse.
He later added: "To be clear, legitimate players (those who bought it early, reviewers, etc.) are safe from my team's ban-hammer."
Phew. But how Microsoft determines the legitimacy of a game, Toulouse does not say.
Halo 3: ODST launches on 22nd September, exclusively for Xbox 360.
The Bungie squad-based spin-off is yet another of the games on show at the Eurogamer Expo, which takes place in both Leeds and London this year. Grab a ticket now; don't leave it too late!
Check out the ever-growing line-up over on the Eurogamer Expo mini-site.