Treyarch to ban console modders

Game studio Treyarch has indicated to adopt a zero tolerance policy on people using a hacked Xbox 360 or Playstation for multiplayer games. The company stated that using hacked consoles creates technical issues, adversely affecting the game experience for all players.<o:p></o:p>

Treyarch is working with the consoles’ manufacturers, Sony and Microsoft, to find the offenders and take punitive action, with at the severe end of the spectrum including a complete ban from Treyarch servers. <o:p></o:p>

This marks a great difference to the attitude on modding PC games. Modders, users creating new content for a game, add fresh ideas to an existing game. Game studios, who usually accompany a game with content editors that facilitate modders to build new levels, new multiplayer maps or new quests, stimulate this. For game studios, a vibrant community of mod developers not only helps extend the shelf life of a game. It also reveals people with a serious knack and passion for developing content and thus helps studios to attract new staff.<o:p></o:p>

Contrary to the PC, however, consoles do not offer mod development tools and neither do they allow mods to be played. Console modding then does not refer to add creative content to an existing game. Modded consoles are consoles that have been hacked so that illegal copies of games can be played.<o:p></o:p>