Rumor has it that Microsoft is going to be giving more than a dirty look at fake Live accounts that try to download content across region limits. Banning may follow.
The folks at
Xboxic have uncovered an entry on a German website explaining that the Video Marketplace has triggered a lot of cross regional downloads through the use of fake Xbox Live accounts. The creation of these accounts has been remarkably simple, and appealing for users trapped behind the thin green wall of international content restrictions.
It appears that many Xbox Live users outside of the United States have been creating faux accounts to get access to all that sweet, sweet video. Microsoft is concerned about running afoul of national distribution agreements that vary from one country to the next and are supposedly going to start banning and canceling fake accounts.
Microsoft is said to be looking for users that try to download content from a region that does not match the location tagged to the user's IP address. Apparently, even Gold accounts will not be safe, if created on false information.
Whether you find the use of fake accounts a horrible transgression, a silly sneak-tactic, or a useful tool for indie blogs to get up-to-the-minute press coverage *cough*, the game might soon be over. The report of the hunt for fakers is not confirmed, but it sounds like a reasonable rumor.
