Call of Duty: Black Ops is due out in just a couple of weeks, so obviously it’s already been pirated. While that’s not at all surprising, what is surprising is how Activision is apparently handling it.
According to a report over on VentureBeat, the publisher has hired a private investigation firm – IP Cybercrime – to track down Black Ops pirates, and… ask them politely to stop pirating Black Ops.
The article cites the experience of one “Computer Healer” who arranged to purchase a copy of the game for $400 from one “Ungodly”. The deal thus transacted, Computer Healer then received a phone call from an IP Cybercrime operative, who said he believed him to be in possession of an unauthorised copy of the game, and asked that he refrain from redistributing or leaking it online. A subsequent call from another “polite” investigator then organised to collect the game via courier, and return it to Activision.
In a YouTube video, Computer Healer says he turned the game over to IP Cybercrime, and learned a “good moral lesson”. That, or he learned not to play games on Xbox LIVE before they’re released.
True life drama, or the most totally bizarre anti-piracy publicity stunt ever?
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