If you're one of the gamers who downloaded a pirated copy of upcoming shooter Wolfenstein's multiplayer mode, Activision would like a word with you. A harsh word.
On its message board, the company had this to say about a recent internet code-leak:
"It was brought to our attention on Friday, 7/31 that a build of the Wolfenstein Multiplayer was leaked and is now being distributed illegally through breach of NDA and mirrors posted on the internet. I must warn anyone involved that Activision's legal department is taking this matter very seriously.
"Same applies here on the forums. If you mention that you have acquired this build, you are openly admitting to illegally obtaining the build and will be banned straight away. You have been warned.
With regards to any footage, screenshots and comments posted here and all over the internet, an important thing to keep in mind is that these were not created from a build of the game that was final or consumer ready. There's nothing we can do about it now except continue working on the game."
Ouch. Harsh, harsh words. These kinds of leaks place software companies in a precarious situation: I would think a good percentage of the people lining up to download and play Wolfenstein early are doing so because they're huge fans of the game, or can't wait for its release. So Activision is essentially legally threatening their biggest fans as well as the pirates they'd probably rather target. But what other option does the company have? You have to take some kind of action against piracy, and it must really, really suck to have your game leak out before you intended it to, especially if it's actually a not-finished build, as the company says. On the other hand, if commenters are identifying bugs and problems with the game, then letting Activision know about it, aren't they, in a sense, doing the company a favor? Should they really be banned for it?
What do you think about the way Activision is handling this situation? Is banning commenters from message boards for admitting they pirated a game fair? Is this even that big of a deal?
Also: I love melons.
Comments are Closed
Comments
Displaying 1–20 of 25
122
superdeeduper51
I'd still really like to play this game though, I haven't played any good shooters this summer. Why are there no reviews for this game yet?
ShotgunBoy22
Well its not are fault that they had a leak?What a bunch of retards that think they can check everyones computors
HAWK33
Oh ya I like Melons also... just not the Silicone ones!! ok I am lieing I love the Silicone ones as well...
HAWK33
Why is everyone getting so mad at Activision for doing what anyone of you would do if it were your company? I would be pretty upset to say the least but I would have handeled it differantly, not like a bunch of wenners, I would go after the leak and stop it there, And this beta is not even the finished product so whats the big deal that it's out, unless they may be afraid that it sucks so bad that it could hurt the sales, I own every one of the Wolfenstein series and like them all, I like Activision games, when I buy a game and see Activision's name on the box, I can count on 9 times out of 10 that it will be great game. I am also no means an Activision Fanboy,
I just got the Xbox 360 ver and it's great and I can't wait to try it on my PC with an awsome vid card (2gig ATI 4870) and QX6700 quad extreme cpu
Should be a hoot, Very sorry to Activision that they are getting upset over something thats not that big of a deal, If it was the full ver that leaked then I could see their point but it;s not so get over it, My 2cents worth
I dont' think I will be back here again because I am downloading the beta of a game... buy all and see you on the battlefield!!! MUhahahahahaha
fetus9000
I don't really think that the people who illegally pirated the game are going to be the kind of people to be quality testers, and even if they do "Find problems" they probably have no idea how to tell Raven and Id how to fix the bugs. If its not the final build there are bound to be frame rate issues and long load times that need to be further refined. Also you never know if there is some sort of terrible bug that deletes the contents of you C drive instead of just deleting the game when you uninstall that game.
ddf
I was goning to buy cod mm2 day one but now foock them
komradkyle
I never feel black and white about these issues I am always in the gray area come on though buy the game. But they released ET for free which was much better than the 60 bucks i paid for ETQW so i can see why people would want to try it out first. I am guessing the people who played the game and liked it early would buy it more its just like music, sample stuff online then buy the albums you love
tommy_deathdoll
could they have leaked this themselves and be putting out empty threats just to hype up the sales of this game? they have been worried about sales lately, haven't they?
EKG
Honesty, I have no sympathy for Activision, at all, in the least, whatsoever. All they do is Milk their franchises to high heaven and release the same game at least once a year, but usually multiple times a year. It is disgusting that THEY have been the ones ripping us off for years, and now they threaten us when we decide to fight back.
I have never, and WILL NEVER pirate any game.....EVER. I think it is stealing, and I am completely against it. But, in this case, I just can't feel bad for them. Activision, how many times now have you released Song Packs for Guitar Hero and put them on a disk and charged people $65 for it???? How many times have you released the same game over and over again and fool people into buying it??? I'm sorry Activision, but you need a little taste of your own medicine....Which is exactly what these pirates are giving you.
KillingKeyBoard
I think Activision is doing all that they can. When something like that leaks, the company has very little control of where it goes. Activision just might be staring at their own game without their name on it.
ashkpa
Wow, I didn't even know about this leak. From what I hear you saying it sounds like it could be played as a multiplayer demo. I don't see how this could hurt their sales at all unless people decide that it sucks completely.
I'm pretty sure Activision is just trying to scare people, but if not, then they're taking it too far for sch a little thing.
mij1525
sorry - not the online co-op on the last game but just co-op in general. lol
mij1525
TheBossRiojas is right. They're wasting their time and efforts, not to mention but pissing people off with their Big Publisher mentality. This "leak" is not going to cost them any sales. However, their lack of online co-op might - at least from me. That was one of the greatest features of the last Wolfenstein game.
K_BIT
I don't really know what to do, now. On one hand, buying it used will keep money out of Activision's greedy little hands. But on the other, that'll keep id from getting money, too.
What to do, what to do...
TheBossRiojas
Damn they act like the people who have that build arent gonna buy that game when it comes out so they need 2 relax and work on the game
-John-
@ RRoDisBack
Wow, I don't normally +1 your comments, but I loved how you made fun of Activision's idiotic anti-PS3 quotes. You somehow manage to be s PS3-fanboy without being a complete tool this time. Good job!
Anyway, I'm against piracy 100%, so I support what Activision is doing, even though I think Activision sucks balls.
Besides, this is id Software! id is awesome! If you re not going to respect Activision, at least respect id!
SlickyFats
I think if you admit it, rather than ban you just pull up the profile info, contact the ISP and file some legal action. Leaking out games and movies and info might seem cool, but it can really hurt the company so I say use the American Legal system to its full extent. Maybe not as far as the RIAA does but do something besides ban people.
krypto74
I also like melons! Also, we prefer buccaneer-americans.
IBloodstormI
Why is that nazi wearing tesla armor?
MegaMark26
piracy sucks and so does leaks i must admit. as for activision..i'm seeing it as just desserts for a douchebag company.
Displaying 1–20 of 25
122