Gaming

Banned Xbox Users Plan Class-Action Lawsuit, Claim Conspiracy

3:02AM November 21, 2009 | Adam Frucci

Microsoft recently banned a whole lot of modded consoles. Was it to prevent piracy, or was it a conspiracy? A new lawsuit is positing the latter theory.

Here’s what Texas-based law firm AbingtonIP says to justify their new suit:

Although modification of Xbox consoles is arguably against the terms of use for Xbox/Xbox Live, Microsoft ‘conveniently’ timed the Xbox console ban to coincide with the release of the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 game and less than two months after the release of the very popular Halo 3: ODST game.

I’m not sure that modding consoles is “arguably” against the terms of use; it is against the terms of use. And why wouldn’t they want to keep people from pirating their biggest game of the year?

Certainly, anyone who is banned who hasn’t modded their console has a legitimate bone to pick with Microsoft, and there’s no defending their heavy-handed banning tactics and their collateral damage. But to suggest they’re intentionally banning legit accounts in order to get people to sign up again, well, that’s pretty stupid. [TG Daily via Engadget]

Comments

  • Cedwa13

    November 21, 2009 at 10:39 AM

    I read that a little differently to you Giz.

    My interpretation was that they are attempting to say that Microsoft allowed the release of Halo 3 (their own game) and removed the players before MW2 in an attempt to cut Infinity Wards sales.

    I don’t see how this is even worth attempting to argue in court as they have definitively gone against the terms of use for Xbox.

  • Greg

    November 23, 2009 at 7:23 PM

    They aren’t trying to get people to sign up again. Those people are already paying to use XBox Live.

    They are trying to get people to buy a second XBox 360 and continue paying for XBox Live.

    Lots more (new) console sales equals lots more cashflow.

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