Disc Watermarking on Xbox 720?

With the first next-gen shots fired by Sony, fans are beginning to wonder when the bad news starts to drop for the new consoles. While delicately crafted PR messages are likely to dominate the headlines, there’s bound to be some things that don’t sit well with gamers. A new rumor suggests that Microsoft will use watermarked discs to deter piracy and used game sales in the next-generation, and it comes from the president of Eidos Interactive.

In a recent inteview with MCV, Ian Livingstone talks about the possibility of a disc-less future for gaming. In the interview, Livingstone relays some “supposed” facts about the Xbox “720”.

“With the next Xbox, you supposedly have to have an internet connection and the discs are watermarked”

“With the next Xbox, you supposedly have to have an internet connection, and the discs are watermarked, whereby once played on one console it won’t play on another… So I think the generation after that will be digital only.”

While Livingstone does say “supposedly”, you would assume that the president of a big developer like Eidos would know such things. Could it be that Microsoft’s next gen console will not only require an always online connection, but watermarked discs as well?

The topic of used games and piracy prevention on new consoles has been a hot topic as of late. Sony, who had indicated in early talk following the PS4 reveal that used games would still be played on the new hardware, recently backtracked with a statement from one of its executives saying that the feature is still up in the air.

Microsoft’s Next Xbox is due for reveal in April, when the company is rumored to be hosting an event to reveal the new hardware.