Halo: Reach now available for illegal digital download

News
By published

Digital "review" copy of anticipated Bungie game has been compromised

Right on schedule, hackers have managed to pull down an early downloadable version of Halo: Reach designed to be used only by game reviewers. The illegal version of Halo: Reach was made available by Game-Tut.com. Individuals there were able to strip away special access restrictions on the downloadable title that required reviewers to enter a unique code. We’ve gotta say, GamesRadar does not support or endorse game piracy in any way, but by now Microsoft should know the equation: Putting a high-profile game online for download = someone will hack it. Guaranteed.

In a posting on developer Bungie's official forum, company rep Louis Wu wrote, "Just a warning - looks like Reach is out there in the wild. This time it seems we can't blame the French; apparently, a group of modders figured out how to fool Xbox.com into allowing a download of the copies put up for some press. (Ouch!)" Why he chose the word “warning” is beyond us, but perhaps a pre-release Reach is more threatening and dangerous than we’ve been led to believe.

It certainly doesn't come as unexpected news for the Halo team, which will of course still rake in hundreds of millions of dollars in legitimate sales once it hits store shelves. The same kind of thing happened with both Halo 2 and Halo 3, neither of which tanked, exactly. Both previous games were also compromised about the same amount of time before the game's official release.

Halo 2 leaked: Mid October, 2004
Halo 2 release date: November 11, 2004

Halo 3 leaked: Early September, 2007
Halo 3 release date: September 21, 2007

Halo Reach leaked: Mid August, 2010
Halo Reach release date: September 14, 2010

Based on these numbers, it's pretty obvious that the next Halo game will be released in August of 2013 and the game file will be leaked online in mid July. Sorry Microsoft - you can't argue with cold, hard facts.

This is just the cost Microsoft and Bungie have to pay for trying to be cool and offer reviewers an easier way to have access to the game. Most publishers still rely on shipping out physical copies of the game en masse, and then cheap gamers wait for the review copies that inevitably end up on Ebay right at launch for $35. Of course, for the vast majority of gamers who will still wait like responsible adults and actually buy the game next month, the time to begin watching out for unexpected spoilers is now. Be careful!

Source: Joystiq

Aug 20, 2010


Watch a Bungie designer dominate at his own game… and then teach you how he did it


VIDEOS: See a Team Slayer match on a Zealot and Pinnacle


Limited Edition box doesn’t offer as many goodies as the Legendary Edition of Halo: Reach