How’s this for dedication?

According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, fans of the upcoming shoot ‘em up game, Half-Life 2, have reportedly helped federal agents nab the crooks who leaked the game’s source code last fall. The leak caused the long-awaited game to miss its scheduled October 2003 release; HL2 is now hoped to be completed this summer.

Half-Life’s fans have always been a committed bunch. The players are among the most passionate creators of user-made modifications, and helped turn one mod – Counter-Strike – into a mainstream hit. Though many sucked down the leaked source code as it made its way across the Internet, most decried the delay the leak caused.

When Gabe Newell, the head of Valve, HL2’s developer, called upon gamers to help find the source of the leak, fans got on the case, emailing tips sleuthed from the online underworld. Newell says he now credits the fans’ work with leading to the arrest of two suspects last week in Seattle.