This weekend a copy of the forthcoming Gears of War 3 game for Xbox 360 leaked online as a torrent file, and was downloaded by thousands of eager gamers.
The torrent file contained the full single-player campaign as well as some multiplayer options, and gamers with mod-chipped Xbox 360 consoles were actually able to play the game. With the game’s official release date over 2 months away, Microsoft were understandably keen to address the issue and have since posted a response online:
“We have seen the reports of Gears of War 3 content being propped on the Web and working closely with our security teams and law enforcement to address the situation,” said a Microsoft spokesperson. “This content is not from a final build and is not representative of what fans will enjoy when the game launches worldwide on September 20, 2011.”
Microsoft’s statement confirms that the game content found in the leaked torrent file was a developer copy, which would account for the high number of bugs and glitches reported by the gamers who managed to try out the game.
With over 1 million pre-orders reached for Gears of War 3 already, the game is one providing high levels of anticipation. On September 20th, Microsoft Studios and Epic Games will release the long-awaited third instalment in three editions – a regular copy, the Collector’s Edition (£59.99) and the Epic Edition (£99.99).
The game was originally due for release in April of this year, but was then pushed back to September. Is it any wonder fans of the game jumped on the download and have been playing it on their mod-chipped Xbox 360s?
Would you download and play a leaked torrent file of a game like GoW 3? Let us know your thoughts on the story by leaving a comment below!