Update: Microsoft has issued a statement implying VMC Games, its testing partner, made an error by saying the company would make the consoles of contractors who leaked content "entirely unusable." The company didn't directly refer to the letter from VMC, likely to avoid indirectly confirming the development of a "Gears of War" remake.
Instead, Microsoft says, Xbox Live members can be punished by being temporarily banned from Xbox Live, including their consoles. That means all online capabilities are unavailable to them, such as multiplayer, video streaming or game updating. This is the same type of ban Microsoft used for the previous console generation with its Xbox 360.
Microsoft's statement is as follows:
To be clear, if a console is suspended from Xbox Live for a violation of the Terms of Use, it can still be used offline. Microsoft enforcement action does not result in a console becoming unusable. Suspensions for both consoles and accounts are determined by looking at a number of factors. To avoid enforcement action including suspension from the service, users should follow the Xbox Live Terms of Use and Code of Conduct.
This article's headline has been amended as a result of Microsoft's response. Neowin's original article can be seen below.
Microsoft will undoubtedly announce a remake for the original "Gears of War" soon, thanks to information leaked online by some users testing the game. Unfortunately for those exact people, however, they won't be able to use their Xbox One consoles for a temporary period of time, as Microsoft has made them "entirely unusable."
According to an email obtained by Kotaku, Microsoft and VMC Games, a company that provides testing services with contractors, sent messages to users who leaked information about the upcoming remake informing them that they are banned from Xbox Live and their consoles are now unusable. The relevant passage from the email, which was sent by VMC, is as follows:
Now, new wording is about to reach the community regarding this particular event. The nature of the leak having had occurred through Xbox One, actually also went against the Microsoft EULA, which is agreed upon when creating an Xbox LIVE account, or any other type of Microsoft account. This being said, as per that agreement with the testers in fault, Microsoft also permanently disabled their Xbox LIVE accounts (as well as other suspected accounts present on their Xbox One kits) and temporarily blocked all of their Xbox One privileges – meaning that for a period of time which Microsoft decides on depending on the severity of the offense, their Xbox One is entirely unusable.
In the previous console generation, Microsoft was known for banning the accounts and online capabilities of hackers and cheaters, though it wasn't capable of making a console "entirely unusable." Kotaku claims that the leakers in question stated their Xbox One consoles are their personal versions and not debug or development consoles.
The revelation that Microsoft can essentially press a button to brick a console comes after the company received a public evisceration when it revealed its original digital rights policies for Xbox One, which included an Internet connection requirement for verifying games. The company later changed the policies following the immense backlash.
Source: Kotaku
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