360 Spring Update to Block Foreign Content Download

Like a European equivalent to Major Nelson, AceyBongos is Community Manager for Xbox.com in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Okay, so he’s not quite as hifalutin’ as Major Nelson but he has an official Microsoft blog and he typically doles out equally juicy news. In this case it’s the kind of juicy news that stings a little bit on that sore tooth you keep tonguing.

In speaking with Michael Newey, Group Product Marketing Manager for Xbox Europe, Mr. Bongos has been informed that with the Spring Dashboard Update “you will no longer be able to use a foreign Xbox Live account to download Xbox Live Marketplace content from a country different to the country in which you live.” Why? The usual legal stuff.

Q: Some of these Xbox Live users are just keen to get cool content that is not available in the country where they live. Why are we stopping them from doing that?

Michael Newey: We understand that, but unfortunately we are legally required to ensure that all content on Xbox Live is only available for download in the country in which it is licensed. If we don’t we may not be able to continue providing quality content.

We’re not trying to stop people getting the content they want – we’re trying to ensure that we can continue to provide great content on Xbox Live, and bring that content to other countries in the future. I should also point out that licensing agreements like this are standard practice in the entertainment industry.

All I ever grabbed was Japanese demos, game trailers and the rare free themes and icons, but I understand why this has to happen. Microsoft is at least nice enough to not outright kill the whole system of anyone with a foreign account. Read the full post and interview at AceyBongos’ blog.