Microsoft kicks modded Xbox 360 owners off of Xbox Live

Jacqueline DiOrio (Gnome Queen) Microsoft has claimed before that players who modify their Xbox 360s will be kicked off of the Xbox Live network, and today, followed up on that promise.

November 11, 2009 10:26 AM ET in News, , ,

xbox-360_logoMicrosoft has claimed before that players who modify their Xbox 360s will be kicked off of the Xbox Live network, and today, followed up on that promise.

Modifying the console is against the Live terms of use and a number of subscribers have been banned for it.

Microsoft refuses to reveal how many of its 20 million Xbox Live player base has been given the boot, but rumors from the internet speculate it to be about 600,000 people, or 3%.  The company also refused to note if the kicks had been made over time or very recently.

So let this be a note to anyone considering modifying their consoles: Microsoft, at least, truly will not stand for it.

13 Comments

  1. 11 Nov '09, 3:55 pm Cliff_Forster

    Yet another reason to game on PC.

  2. 11 Nov '09, 4:21 pm lordbean

    I game on a modified PC, yo.

    ... oh wait.

  3. 11 Nov '09, 4:25 pm AlexDeGruven

    This will only work until the Modders figure out how to update their mods so they don't leave a signature on the network.

    It's a constant arms race.

  4. 11 Nov '09, 9:26 pm TheGlue29

    PWNED.

  5. 12 Nov '09, 1:30 am Crazy Joe

    I see nothing wrong with this. It's in the terms of XBox Live that everyone signing up for the service agrees to... If you chose to ignore the rules then you get the banhammer...

  6. 12 Nov '09, 7:22 am Bandrik

    Hopefully people that have modded their 360's have had the foresight to know something like this would happen. I'd hate to lose access to my LIVE Arcade collection.

    But then again, my 360 isn't modded. Gooooo team "plain vanilla"!

  7. 12 Nov '09, 7:50 am Bagjuioce

    My 360 is modded, but I haven't connected to xbl in a couple months... I think this may cause that hiatus to go a bit longer.

  8. 12 Nov '09, 12:20 pm Xbox Modder

    I my friends have a brain, I have had my xbox modded for years and play on xbox live everynight. Ive downloaded and copied over 70 games, laugh in microsofts face everyday. People get banned because they dont understand how it works and quite frankly they are total Idiots.

    How am i so successful, because i dont give a flying f**k

    Add me online : gamertag - ScottMclean1990

    Thats just how confident I f**kin am.

    Have fun playing outside.

  9. 12 Nov '09, 2:34 pm randomGuy

    Just to clarifiy:

    You won't lose access to anything that you've purchased on LIVE.

    Microsoft only bans your console, I.E. it's specific ID. You can always buy a new one and transfer your existing LIVE account to it.

  10. 12 Nov '09, 2:44 pm Gnome Queen

    Thank you for the clarification, RandomGuy. I've heard that this is true as well.

    I did also hear though that some people may have had problems with recovering all of their data from Xbox Live, which is why I held off on confirming whether or not the account was safe.

  11. 12 Nov '09, 3:19 pm Ryan

    Be legit you cheap asses xbox live is the future offering so much to gamers for £40 a year its a bargain

  12. 19 Nov '09, 1:50 am photodude

    wow a flood of $40 linux boxes ;-) and who knows maybe someday microsoft will soften up on this....

  13. 19 Nov '09, 3:09 am Gnome Queen
    Quoting photodude

    wow a flood of $40 linux boxes ;-) and who knows maybe someday microsoft will soften up on this....

    There are some sites online that are claiming that there's a way that you can unban your Xbox, involving some shenanigans and access to an unbanned box. I thought about posting an article about it, but I figure Microsoft is in the right here, so I haven't. I sympathize with those that had their consoles banned, but they did break the rules.

Troll-free since 2003 ®