Xbox May Develop a Cross-Platform Blacklist for Banned Players

Gaming has many advantages, but one of the most common recurring issues is that of problem players. These players could be hackers or just trolls who derive amusement by ruining other people’s time in a game.  

While report appeals exist across all platforms, they are often just a temporary solution. Even if players are banned on one platform, they can hop onto another and continue their annoying activities. Now, Xbox may be thinking of combating this plague. 

Phil Spencer, Xbox Head, has stated that Microsoft would like to create a cross-platform blacklist for banned users. He said this when speaking to the New York Times, 

Something I would love us to be able to do–this is a hard one as an industry–is when somebody gets banned in one of our networks, is there a way for us to ban them across other networks? 

Phil Spencer

He also suggested that players should be able to bring their own “banned user list” along with them to any platform they choose. 

This is the group of people that I choose not to play with. Because I don’t want to have to recreate that in every platform that I play video games on. 

Phil Spencer

He then elaborated on how Microsoft uses AI on the Xbox to monitor a conversation’s sentiment and detect when the conversation is becoming hostile or heading to a destructive point. Spencer stated that Xbox Live is “not a free speech platform.” 

The service is used for a lot, from chatting about games to politics and real-world affairs. Some have even gone so far as to propose and get married on Xbox Live. But this does not mean that any and all kinds of discourse will be allowed at all times. “We’re a platform around interactive entertainment and video games.” 

A ban list that has the names of people from other platforms would be a first of its kind, especially for the new generations of consoles. It would also spell bad news for many people who have abandoned a platform for this exact reason.  

However, it may also be prudent to let people appeal the bans on a new platform. After all, if someone was banned for something they said years ago, they may have changed as a person over time for that ban to no longer be needed. 

About Microsoft

Founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975, Microsoft is an American MNC that creates, licenses, supports and sells computers, software, electronics, video games, and corresponding services.

Some of the most popular titles in the world, like Age of Empires, Forza, Gears of War, Halo, Minecraft, Microsoft Solitaire, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and State of Decay, have been developed and published by Microsoft.

Microsoft is also known for establishing the famous console brand Xbox, along with the video game subscription Xbox Game Pass.