Valve suspends 20,000 Steam accounts
The developer stages a mass bust of users attempting to "illegally obtain" Half-Life 2, and shoots down warez-trap rumors.
Last week, rumors circulated that Valve had released a fake key to Half-Life 2 to various "warez" sites in an effort to trap game pirates. Today on the forums of Steam, Valve's download service, the developer announced that it had busted nearly 20,000 people who tried "to access Half-Life 2 without purchasing it."
As a result, the offenders have had their Steam accounts suspended indefinitely. Valve also warned that "accounts also may be closed due to fraudulent activity in an attempt to obtain additional products for your Steam account. This includes credit card fraud, theft of accounts you do not own, and using cracked versions of Valve games."
Valve's statement was coy about how it caught the pirates. "The method used was extremely easy for Valve to trace and confirm," it read, "and so there is no question that the accounts disabled were used to try and illegally obtain Half-Life 2."
However, Valve was extremely clear about one thing--it did not create a special version of Half-Life 2 to bust pirates. "Valve did not put out any kind of fake key or fake warez or hack instructions to trap people," read the statement. "The hack came from the 'community' as do they all."
Hot Stories
Newsmakers
-
Mass Effect 2 Interview: Adrian Askarieh
EA producer discusses the latest revelations about BioWare's upcoming sci-fi role-playing game. Full Story
- Posted Nov 10, 2009 11:17 am PT
-
Visually impaired gamer sues Sony Online
Refusal to implement or facilitate changes to make online games more accessible violates Americans with Disabilities Act, suit claims. Full Story
- Posted Nov 6, 2009 3:48 pm PT
- 1225 Comments
Featured Stories
-
Modern Warfare 2 sells 4.7 million in 24 hours
Activision and Infinity Ward's shooter claims largest entertainment launch crown with $310 million in UK, US, and Canadian sales; North American day-one sales hit 3.38 million. Full Story
- Posted Nov 12, 2009 11:02 am PT
- 280 Comments
-
C&C4: Tiberian Twilight falls in March
Final installment of the Tiberium saga heading to PC on March 16 in North America, March 19 in Europe; preorder incentives include exclusive bonus mission and early access to beta program. Full Story
- Posted Nov 12, 2009 8:14 am PT
- 36 Comments
-
Prince of Persia film could generate $2.7 billion-plus - Ubisoft
CEO Yves Guillemot and Jake Gyllenhaal-led action film franchise may generate more than Pirates of the Caribbean; French publisher investing more in game development. Full Story
- Posted Nov 12, 2009 1:37 pm PT
- 114 Comments
-
Xbox Live purged of up to 1 million users - Report
Information Week estimates Microsoft may have suspended 5% of service's subscribers for using modded Xbox 360s--which are now flooding Craigslist. Full Story
- Posted Nov 11, 2009 2:31 pm PT
- 465 Comments
-
Natal release date, price leaked?
British reports peg the Xbox 360's motion-sensing peripheral as launching next November at an artificially low £50 (approx. $83) price point; 5 million-unit initial shipment expected. Full Story
- Posted Nov 11, 2009 11:31 am PT
Submit News
Related Game
- VU Games
- Valve Software
- Sci-Fi First-Person...
- Release: Nov 16, 2004 »
- ESRB: Mature
Recent News
-
Final Fantasy XIII due March 9
Square Enix's latest J-RPG headed to North America and Europe in early 2010, Leona Lewis' "My Hands" named as theme song; new trailer inside.
2 Comments
Sign in / Sign up