It’s one of those hot button topics among the gaming community. How to handle software piracy without the curse of DRM is still a nut that many feel has yet to be cracked.
Now, even those at famed game company Ubisoft are jumping on the anti-DRM bandwagon (following the likes of CD Projekt Red before them). In a recent interview, Chris Early (who is VP of digital publishing at Ubisoft) states it’s time we stop putting useless restrictions on honest gamers who actually purchase their products. “I don’t want us in a position where we’re punishing a paying player for what a pirate can get around. Anything is going to be able to pirated given enough time and enough effort to get in there. So the question becomes, what do we create as services, or as benefits, and the quality of the game, that will just have people want to pay for it?” says Early.
So if DRM and piracy safeguards are not the option, what should the industry do to prevent this lost revenue? Early’s thoughts comes from a more creative standpoint, suggesting the solution lies inside the game itself (and not in the security measures on the disc). “I think it’s much more important for us to focus on making a great game and delivering good services” He states. “The reality is, the more service there is in a game, pirates don’t get that. So when it’s a good game and there’s a good service around it, you’re incentivized to not pirate the game to get the full experience.”
Check back Monday as I delve a bit deeper into how DRM is not only ruining the PC gaming experience for some, but where we go from here in battling this toxic issue.