Microsoft "aware of isolated cases" of Halo 4 piracy,

The corporate giant is on the war path for Halo 4 pirates who’ve been trying to sneak in under the radar. Microsoft threaten ”vigorous action” through account bans and even law enforcement.

They’re pursuing ”account and console bans” for those violating the Xbox Live TOS agreement by playing pirated copies. Frank O’Connor already said he’s ‘not surprised’ by the theft of Halo 4 discs.

Halo 4 doesn’t officially release on Xbox 360 until early November but already pirated versions have become available at the usual sources.

Some have begun uploading YouTube videos of the game. Emails are said to already be in circulation for those users caught, which involve all Xbox Live access being revoked with no chance at getting it turned for playing a ‘prerelease title’. Having game copies stolen is almost the norm for the industry nowadays.

”We are aware of isolated cases in which Halo 4 content has been propped on the web and are working closely with our security teams and law enforcement to address the situation immediately,” said Microsoft.

”Consumers should be aware that piracy is illegal and we take vigorous action against illegal activity related to our products and services. Playing pirated copies of games, such as Halo 4, is a violation of the Xbox Live Terms of Use and will result in enforcement action, such as account and console bans.”

Below is one of the alleged emails sent from Microsoft to someone caught playing Halo 4.