Microsoft rolls out strike-based system for Xbox

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Microsoft has unveiled a new strike-based enforcement system for Xbox.

In an interview with The Verge, corporate vice president of Xbox player services Dave McCarthy says that the decision was attributed to making community standards more straightforward to users.

He said, "This is all about player transparency. We didn’t have a way to show our players what their standing was in our community. And this makes it completely clear."

If a user violates community standards, they'll receive a strike. The number of strikes and length of punishment depends on the violation level.

Violations include hate speech, profanity, cheating, and harassment. A player that amasses eight strikes will be banned from using Xbox services such as multiplayer and voice communication for a year.

Additionally, McCarthy said that 1% of the Xbox user base receives any enforcement, and one-third of that percentage received another action.

In addressing a question on social media about why the system has an eight-point rule, Xbox boss Phil Spencer explained that users can receive multiple strikes for their violations at once.

The executive said, "Strikes are assigned based on the severity of the actions and can result in more than one strike for an infraction."