Modern Warfare 4 'Blackmailers' Speak

By Mark Johnson

ZiiP, the gaming community now known to some as the 'Modern Warfare 4 blackmailers', says it isn't serious about strong-arming Infinity Ward for copies of the still-only-theoretical game, though following a bit of a web backlash it is thinking about a proper ransom demand and a picture of a frightened puppy.

The community gathered some headlines yesterday after SPOnG revealed that it's holding the modernwarfare4.com domain to ransom.

James, a representative for ZiiP contacted SPOnG, and explained, "We decided to purchase the domain really as a joke - this is obviously not a serious attempt to blackmail IW, as we respect them for their creations and provide a community for their games to be playing in the spirit of how they were designed...

"Therefore, our actions were somewhat 'tongue in cheek' - and based on the fact that our 50 to 100ish members have paid a LOT of money out in the past for games.. and it'd be nice to give them something for free...

"It'd be nice if IW gave us a handful of games - but if they don't, we won't fight them... However, now that we are being classed as 'blackmailers of IW' on the web I might change the holding page to have a proper ransom demand and a picture of a small innocent puppy looking terrified!"

James explained that ZiiP is around four years old, while many of its members have been playing together for over 10. They take what you might call an 'ethical' approach to gaming, forbidding hacks, cheats and piracy.

James noted that the coverage has brought up issues surrounding domain squatting for ZiiP. "I receive messages and have read comments that states that domain squatting is a federal offence - which I can see, it is and I do not disagree with. However - I am from the UK. As much as America does have interests globally, its Federal Laws do not operate past its own borders. This is evident recently with the case of ThePirateBay operating in Sweden."

He notes that, as far as he is aware, there is no law governing cyber-squatting in the UK, nor is there one internationally.

While James doesn't see ZiiP getting into a fight with IW about it, he notes, "What I can see happening - if I was an arse and didn't want to give the domain to IW - is that your .com domains are owned and controlled by the US, and they would probably seize control of it."