A few Americans managed to sneak past Microsoft's virtual US-Canada border over the weekend to get in on some 1 vs. 100 beta action.
According to Kotaku, all that was needed to sneak into the Canada-only beta was one Canadian Xbox Live account. From that account, reminders and alerts were able to be sent to any American account, and those accounts would be eligible to download the beta. The chain would continue, as those American accounts could invite their friends. Additionally, Microsoft does not filter out by IP address or geolocation: a Canadian account was easily created from within the US.
The fun was quickly over, however: the Canadian beta has now ended, meaning the next opportunity to play will be when Microsoft reopens the beta, possibly in another country, and likely with a fix for this hole.
1 vs. 100 is the premier application in Microsoft's Primetime channel, which gets players to sign on and play in large games, like game shows, at specific times. It was announced at E3 last year as part of the November 19 "New Xbox Experience", but was pushed back and is now being tested, before being released for general consumption. The Canadian beta has been going on for several weeks now, and more betas will likely open up to improve the game further.
Many who have played the game, myself included, have found it quite entertaining. "The One", who stands in the middle of a stadium-like setup, stands in front of a crowd of 100 other players, collectively known as "The Mob". As multiple choice questions are asked, both "The One" and "The Mob" answer. Those in the mob who get the incorrect answer are eliminated, leaving a smaller mob for the One to go up against. If the One eliminates all other contestants, they are awarded Microsoft points to spend on other arcade games. Those in the audience can play along, too, and see how they stack up against other players.
There has not been any comment from Microsoft on the issue, but one would imagine that a fix will be applied for next time.
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