‘Gears of War’ Xbox One Leak: Microsoft Extends Digital Hand To Punish Leakers
In wake of the recent leak of Gears of War Xbox One footage over the past 24 hours, Microsoft has shown everyone what it means to hold power in a digital age.
The leak, as reported by the Inquisitr previously, shows footage of the rumored Gears of War remaster that is thought to be coming to Xbox One. The footage, which as of now is still available for viewing, shows a beta build of Gears of War running on an Xbox One. While this has yet to be confirmed directly by Microsoft as being legit Gears of War footage, a recent move by the Xbox maker may, in a roundabout way, confirm it as true.
In a letter obtained by Kotaku, the offending Gears of War leakers have actually been punished by Microsoft in the form of actually “bricking” their Xbox One console, remotely. Not only have the consoles been made completely unusable for a undetermined amount of time, the players have also had their Xbox Live accounts permanently banned, as well.
In the letter sent to testers by a third-party company named VMC Games, the reasoning behind Microsoft’s action was simple: the Gears of War NDA had been breached and therefore they took whatever necessary action was needed to protect their property and IP.
“The reason behind the Non-Disclosure Agreement is not only to protect our clients and our program, but also our community, and to make each and every single one of you aware of the severity of revealing confidential information which you’re entrusted with. One screenshot, message or even conversation shared with someone else can easily snowball into a situation that goes out of control, and not only penalize the offender as well as anyone else directly involved, but sometimes far beyond that.”
The Gears of War-leak aftermath also showcases the kind of power that Microsoft has over the boxes many have in their homes. It’s fair to assume that if Microsoft can restrict and even completely disable their console, Sony can likely do the same to offending PS4 players.
Gears of War Ultimate Edition, as it has been called, is rumored to be officially unveiled at Microsoft’s E3 press conference this coming June. The official media briefing was announced earlier today and offers plenty of speculation as to what will be included in the “greatest lineup in Xbox history.”
The leak of Gears of War shows Microsoft’s reach like no other instance before. Hopefully, this will cause players to think twice before breaking an NDA in the future.
[Image via MP1st]
