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Halo 2 Available on the Net
syberanarchy writes "Gamespot reports that Halo 2 has already been leaked to the internet via French newsgroups and P2P networks, almost a month before release! Any chance this bombshell move could force MS/Bungie to push up the release date?" See also gamesindustry.biz and The Register.
Exactly why would this delay it? It's not the source, it's the compiled game... that's all. It happens with nearly every high-profile game (journalists are always so trustworthy...)...
It's not like ALL games end up on FTPs, torrents, DC, whatnot. :P
/* Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana */
This has been like this for years. For as long as the "scene" exists. Nothing to see here, move along. But frankly, the more intermediate poeple getting their hands on the Gold master before it's heading out to press, the easier it is to leak.
I suppose people would be downloading this as a backup to the product they already legally own, right? Oh wait, the game hasn't been released yet...
Socialism: A feeling of discontent and resentment caused by a desire for the possessions or qualities of another.
You can't spell Conspiracy without piracy.
...but it's insanely amusing that it happened right before the "US Declared War on Intellectual Property Theft".
IP Theft pre-emptively attacked!
If I remember correctly, Halo 2 has already gone gold. It'll be difficult to increase the speed of a release at this point. There are a lot of logistical factors that they'll have to overcome to increase production for an immediate release.
If they DO release sooner, and there aren't enough copies, that will also cause a case where people will go to the 'net for the game.
~D
This sig has been enciphered with a one-time pad. It could say almost anything.
We don't want it
Any chance this bombshell move could force MS/Bungie to push up the release date?
Not to be a throll, but I think it will only push up the release date for more draconian laws
Come on! Why do they want to release things so early?! There is a difference between pissing people off, and really really pissing people off!
Online backup with Mozy, sounds like Ozzie, but more!
PAL works just fine on a modded NTSC xbox. So does any other signal format. It's just digital video being rendered at a certain resolution and being pumped out in a certain way, depends on which av pack you have.
Chris
I could see this happening to a game that does not have such a high demand/ratings for
- i.e. Company A spends 2 years on a new game - It's full of bugs and is not getting any good reviews - a flop. they leek it. Then turn around and claim that the leeked version killed their profits and write it off come tax season.
Whether you like Microsoft or not, this is bad. Many people have poured their hearts and souls into making that game not just because they like making cool stuff, but because they like to bring happyness to people. The person who leaked this clearly has no respect for the creators of the game.
As a game developer, I urge you to show some respect for the creators of the game by not downloading or distributing it. My first game came out a couple of weeks ago on PS2 and XBox and it's both frustrating and disappointing to see it readily available on P2P networks. How would you like to see something you've worked on for 50+ hours a week for months on end being freely copied around?
If you're intent on doing it, at least wait until the game has been released and if you like it, please buy it to support the developers. $50 isn't much to pay considering the number of hours of entertainment you get from the tens of thousands of man-hours and millions of dollars that would have gone into producing it - infinitely better value than a movie.
My question, though: who'd honestly want a pirate release they can play only on a modded Xbox, when the big draw of Halo 2 is Xbox Live compatibility (which automatically bans anyone who mods their Xbox)? I'll pony up the $50. It's worth it.
As sad as it is, is anyone suprised that it happened? I mean, it's only the most anticipated game of the year (HL2 was the most anticipated game of last year, it's just coming out this year). I've got my preorder in, and I know a lot of other people who won't bother with it either. However, there are people who will always look to cheat the system, and as much as we hate it there's no use crying or screaming or starting flamewars that this will hurt 'the programmers'. But that's not the worst of it.
.00001% of their yearly profits. What's next, that each copy will be biometrically tied to us, so we need to activate out consoles with a thumbprint identification before we can turn it on?
My main concern is the response and backlash from the Corps. It's not that I condone the behavior of these thieves, but I'm desperately afraid of the cure will be worse than the disease. Already we have games that can't work in everyone's PC, or disable programs you legitemately install. We have operating systems that require you to phone home every time you change your hardware, just so that the company can make sure you're not stealing
And what's going to be the target of the corporation's wrath, you ask? In this case, it's going to be USENET, BITTORRENT, and IRC. Three out-of-the-mainstream networks that corporations will try to convince law makers are nothing but havens for pirates and thieves. You'll hear the words "Terrorists" and "Child Pr0n" before this is over, too.
It's a tough world we live in. No matter which side you stand for, this much is certain: you're going to get screwed.
On the contrary, I believe this occurence should force the release date forward - i.e. get it legally earlier; this would lighten the blow of piracy by making legal release concurrent to the leaked one, causing less copies to be stolen (people have a greater chance of buying games as opposed to copying when the game is actually available in the stores.)
Anyone disagree?
I've got news for you, it doesn't just happen with all high profile games. It happens with ALL of them. Even in the era of cartridge based games (NES, SNES, GENESIS...) the ROM data would end up on pirate BBSs and also in the form of counterfeit cartridges in Taiwan, South America, etc... That's just what happens.
For PC games, same thing. Game goes "gold", and it would appear on Warez sites before the first boxed copy ever hit store shelves. The reason this happens is there is ALWAYS going to be some low-paid shmuck working at the duplication factory who thinks it's cool to release the "zero day" warez to pirates, and/or selling it to the pirate groups.
I'll pony up too, but I'll also be playing it a month early.
The big draw isn't Xbox Live. The big draw is it's a new Halo, and any Xbox Live support is just icing on the cake.
Halo 1 did fine without it. You can still play with your friends locally, or even use XBConnect to use it to play over the Internet.
I was going to mod this article, but I decided to post instead.
I hear a lot of people posting comments saying that most people with modded XBOXs are just going to download the game and put up with the French audio and UK subtitles rather than ponying up the $50. Having a modded XBOX, I take offense to that. I've played Halo for years now, and it is the best game I have ever played. I have spent so long waiting for Halo 2 to come out that another few weeks won't make a difference to me. The true diehard fans of Halo will not download the game. Rather, they will buy legit copies of Halo 2, and pay the developers the respect, and money, that they deserve for producing such an awesome game. People who steal from Bungie are not true Halo fans.
My guess is that a lot of people downloading it just want a shot to pratice early so they can kick butt online the day of release, or to check it out and see if it's worthwhile to buy at all.
.001% impact on sales in the end.
Programmers should be more concerned with making sure paying customers are happy than worrying over the ogeyman of "lost sales" due to piracy.
Do you really think Halo sales will suffer as a result of this? My guess is that it will go on to record breaking sales, and this has like a
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Apparently what you don't know is that modded X-box's can get on to XBLive. Your lack of knowledge in the subject is apparent since you obviously don't own a modded X-Box. You shouldn't talk about things that you don't know much about.
umm...because it ruins the marketing plan that they had designed for this launch. Bungie devises a plan around the launch date (print, television, video, etc) and they focus on the timing of the date and how all of the aspects of the campaign tie in together.
This is the same reason that U2 was going to release their album early if the stolen version made it onto the internet. It ruins that way the company can market the record and can effectively promote the singles in the correct order at radio. In effect, it takes all marketing control out of the hands of the company.
You make it sound as though downloading it today and buying it when it comes out are mutually exclusive. That's not the case. A "true Halo fan" could very easily download the game today because they are excited to play it AND pay for it when it becomes available. It does happen.
tk
How? I own a modded xbox and am curious as to whether you're actually telling the truth or you just decided to make up this "magical BIOS" that allows you to go on XBLive while still retaining the ability to play copies. A link to such would go a long way towards backing up your statement.
...except we aren't talking about "true fans", but Joe College who doesn't feel like paying for shit these days.
That's not true. A modded Xbox can NOT play on Xbox Live while the mod is enabled.
If you disable the mod, you can play online. But then you can't play burned games.
Also, having a modded Xbox and using Xbox Live has the potential to get your Xbox banned if you accidentally leave the modchip on and it decides to check for updates (happened to me. I couldn't stop it because I was setting up a new TV and couldn't see what was on the screen).
I don't think I could resist this download if I see it, as I do have a modded Xbox (and a non-modded one).
I'm 100% going to buy Halo 2... heck, I'll probably end up picking up two copies for both of my Xboxes (for 8+ player sweetness). But I don't think I could resist the early taste of what is sure to be a fantastic single player game.
Isn't it a bit simple-minded to see a message board community as a single entity with contradicting views? It IS made up of individuals, who speak up at different times when different issues that appeal to them are being discussed.
I'm no expert on things like this, but if i ran this company, my policy would resemble something with alittle more common sense:
All copies that are distributed prior to the release date would always have a unique identification number imbedded within the image itself. Each id specifically represents the possessor of each unique copy. Furthermore, that fact will be made -very clear- to those who are approved possessors. If your number ends up on the pirated copy, we send goons to your house who will offer you a choice of three items: an eyepatch, a hook, or a pegleg.