Xbox Live users who play legitimately purchased copies of Activision's Modern Warfare 3 before its release date Tuesday may face consequences for their Xbox Live accounts, according to Microsoft.

After some stores began mistakenly selling shipped copies of the game
earlier this week, ahead of an official November 8 launch, a tweet
from Xbox Live Director of Policy and Enforcement Stephen Toulouse
warned that pre-release play for the game is "not authorized" and "may
impact your account."

The word comes after Toulouse said he "[double-checked] with Activision" on the matter, following an earlier tweet that said players could "have fun" with pre-release copies of the game before launch.

In the past, Microsoft has been quick the ban Xbox Live users for infractions from using modded consoles and playing pirated games to using objectionable imagery on in-game characters.

Outside of the tweets, it's unclear how Microsoft and Activision will be
letting potential players know not to use the game before the official
launch date. We've reached out to both companies for further comment on
the matter.

Online auctions for Modern Warfare 3 discs being resold by early purchasers are going for over $1,700 in some cases.