And no it wasn't leaked by a bootlegging pirate either.

Apparently this game store in France began selling retail copies a week before the intended release date.

From:  http://gamersyndrome.com/xbox-360/halo3 … pies-sold/

“Remember when Halo 3 was sold in Britain a week before its official release? Well it’s happened to Halo 3: ODST, in France.â€

That’s right, Halo 3: ODST copies have been sold in France. The discovery was made when a person from France posted a video on Youtube (now removed) about “opening Halo 3: ODST†, the video basically shows the man opening up Halo 3: ODST, and showing off. People have (as usual when it comes to things like this) taken sides, “it’s real† and “it’s fake†. To end these arguments.. it’s real. To prove that it is real Microsoft France has issued an official statement stating that “anyone who is caught playing the game will ultimately be banned from Xbox Live.â€

Wait… so it’s not just this person who has a copy of the game? Oh boy.

Just like when Gears of War 2 was leaked, anyone caught playing the game will be banned.

It’s strange how this has now happened to three games in the Halo franchise, first Halo 2 in Britain, then Halo 3 in Britain.. and now Halo 3: ODST in France.

But the strangest thing about this all is that he didn’t illegally download the game from the Internet, and then transfer it onto his Xbox, he simply bought from a retail store over the counter. I recommend anyone who doesn’t want the story spoiled to not search Halo 3: ODST anywhere apart from Bungie.net, where you can find all the updates for ODST.