14 DAY TRIAL // The video game industry might be very careful about how it sells packaged retail copies these days but leaks and broken street dates still happen regularly, especially for the biggest games of the year, a category that certainly includes something like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
But those who have managed to get a copy of the game early should be very careful about what they do with it, because Stephen Tolouse, who is the director of Policy and Enforcement at Xbox Live, says that all those who play the game on the Xbox 360 before Activision has authorized it risk getting a ban.
He then tweeted, “clarification: dblchk’d with Activision. Mw3 pre-release play not authorized. So pls be patient. Playing early may impact your account!”
A few hours before the same executive told players the following, “For those asking about MW3 pre-release play: If your copy is legit and obtained legitly, have fun. It’s a great game.”
The messages are a little conflicting but it would make sense for players who have a copy to hold off from playing it for the moment, unless they feel that a ban is a small price to pay for getting to see what Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games have created for the new Call of Duty.
The worldwide launch of Modern Warfare 3 is set for Tuesday of next week, with players able to get the game on the PlayStation 3 from Sony, the Xbox 360 from Microsoft, the Nintendo Wii and the DS handheld.
The big draw for the game is the multiplayer modes and players have been known for trying to get access to the game modes as soon as possible in order to get an early edge over their fellow players.
Modern Warfare 3 is widely expected to be the biggest selling game of the year.