5 reasons why Halo: Reach was leaked
Halo: Reach has fallen into the hands of pirates – Here are five reasons why this keeps happening.
Halo: Reach has fallen into the hands of pirates prior to its 14 September launch – and it’s the fourth time a Halo game has been leaked, legitimately or otherwise. The only one in the series that has dodged the dodgy 
bullet is Combat Evolved. Why does this keep happening? Here are five reasons:
1) It’s a big game
Perhaps out of the same misguided sense of corporate giant-killing that undoubtedly drives other pirates, Halo: Reach was probably hit by XBox modders simply because it’s a big target. Pirates revel in the notoriety their activities attract and for them big games, or those that are particularly tough to crack are like waving a red rag to a bull.
2) It has a precedent
Why stop at Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo ODST? Why not hit Bungie’s final game in the series, arguably what promises to be their best since Combat Evolved? You’ve nothing to lose and besides, shady 360 gamer-types that follow the underground scene will be expecting it.
3) Retail is the weakest link
Retailers typically get new releases in a week or sometimes more, prior to launch in order to ready their stock on the shelves. All it takes is a shifty delivery driver or dodgy sales assistant to swipe a copy and before you know it, the evil Internet has disseminated it halfway across the globe.
4) Media is the weakest link
The source of the leak is unconfirmed, but the modders retrieved their version of Halo: Reach by cracking Microsoft’s Partnernet security and downloading a 6GB review copy of the game intended solely for the use of games journalists. Something’s definitely rotten in the state of Denmark…
5) The Conspiracy Theory
Finally, here’s one that’s waaaaaaaay out there for those that enjoy their theories twisted and reeking to high heaven: maybe Microsoft deliberately allowed hackers in for a burst of alternative publicity prior to the launch hype? It’s so close to launch now, would it really make any difference if you just took a quick peek at the dodgy version? Yes – because Microsoft will ban your Live account permanently if you do and besides, the hole has been plugged by now. But just the thought of it is tantalizing enough.
to find out about all the
latest XBOX 360 news, reviews, previews, interviews, features and a whole more.
We all know mcsoft did it by themselves . pure and simple. history repeating,and no one can convince me other way. i’ll buy normal version cause i shit on hackers ,modders and pirates,but mcsoft gotta be honest about this and come forward and do some explaining to their fans
I agree with option 5. If they patched the hole that quickly they must have known about it. It would be ingenious to release a pre-release version which is way before the final release and use it to detect pirates and modders. It would have to be semi legitimate or the torrent sites would point out the fake. Risky move but it shouldn’t hurt the pre-order numbers.
Please check your facts.
“the modders retrieved their version of Halo: Reach by cracking Microsoft’s Partnernet security”
No.