Microsoft bans 1M Xbox 360s from Xbox Live

Up to 1 million Microsoft Xbox 360 game console owners have been banned from Xbox Live due to the possibility of modified game consoles playing pirated games.

Although the Xbox 360 reportedly has built-in digital rights management (DRM) to help prevent pirated software from being played, some console owners have been able to mod their game consoles to get around the measures.

An InformationWeek article indicates anyone banned from Xbox Live can still play games in offline mode — but it remains unclear if the ban is permanent, or if it will lift after a set duration decided by Microsoft.

Microsoft has remained relatively quiet prior to the mass ban, but issued the following statement to InformationWeek:  “All consumers should know that piracy is illegal and that modifying their Xbox 360 console to play pirated discs violates the Xbox Live terms of use, will void their warranty and result in a ban from Xbox Live.”

The mass ban took place close to the launch of “Call of Duty:  Modern Warfare 2,” which is the most popular Xbox 360 game of 2009.  However, pirated copies of the game began to surface a few days before the game’s retail launch, as some anxious gamers began playing the warez edition.

It’s unknown how Microsoft detected pirated copies of the game being played.  Microsoft still has around 20 million members of Xbox Live, and plans to continue banning people playing pirated games, gamers using racist or offensive slurs, and anyone who is disrupting the gaming experience of other players.