Certain Halo 4 players experiencing partial bans after playing Crimson Map Pack

A number of Halo 4 players have taken to the game's official forums to express complaints about being randomly banned from accessing parts of the game after downloading the the recent Crimson Map Pack.

Kotaku spotted the thread which contained posts from users who said that shortly after playing their first game on the new map pack they were banned from playing Halo 4. Some players have reported receiving permanent bans while others have said they've been blocked from certain parts of Halo 4 online.

The ban message players received does not explain why they were banned, but lists possible violations such as manipulating network conditions, impersonating a Microsoft, 343i or Bungie employee or behaving in an unsportsman-like manner. Those who received bans said on the forums that the only thing they did was play the Crimson Map Pack.

A moderator on the forums issued the following response:

We are not permanently banning players for previewing or purchasing the Crimson Map Pack. We are currently investigating the recent reports of permanent matchmaking bans.

We will provide further updates tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.

We have reached out to Microsoft for comment.