I Am Alive PC Follow-up

[Nov 24, 2011, 2:09 pm ET] - Share - Viewing Comments

IncGamers has a follow-up from I Am Alive creative director Stanislas Mettra after his comments on why I Am Alive is not coming to Windows PCs. He does not back off from his allusions to piracy that caused a firestorm of controversy, but rather makes it clear that he was not ruling out a PC edition, even though Ubisoft told us two months ago not to expect a PC edition of the survival game. Here's his update on the status of a PC edition:

I would really love to see a pc build of the game and I dont think I meant to say "the game won't happen on pc" it's probably an English language miscommunication (I am not native English speaker).

What I meant is that the pc version did not happen yet. But we are still working to see the feasibility of it, which is not necessarily simple. I gave some examples to illustrate the problematic, but obviously it is not in my hands and not my part to talk about this.

Honestly, which game maker would not love his game to be playable on as many platforms and by as many people as possible?

Regardless console or pc, what matters is the game and the pleasure people can get from it.

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22.

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 17:10

theyarecomingforyou

CJ_Parker wrote on Nov 24, 2011, 16:25:
It's funny though how in every thread a lot of you keep denying that PC piracy is a huge problem when we have industry insiders with access to sales data and statistics telling us the exact opposite all of the frickin' time.
From indies to AAA publishers, we are seeing comments in the dozens, if not hundreds recently, that PC piracy has gotten out of hand and that it is hurting the business of any company that is attempting to do business on the PC platform.

No. What we're seeing is companies like Ubisoft that adopt strong anti-consumer policies for PC complaining that sales have suffered, while others like CD Projekt - which released games without DRM and that were well supported after launch - have reported great success. Heck, Minecraft has sold 4m copies.

Nobody is denying that piracy is an issue. However, since Steam I haven't pirated any games. Even Battlefield 3 - which I am really interested - I have refused to buy or pirate because of its requirement for Origin and refusal to be sold on Steam. And games that are priced too high - which previously I would have pirated - I now wait to go on sale or pass on. Pirating games is easy but buying games on Steam is even easier.




Core i7 2600-K (4.6GHz) \| 12GB DDR3 \| GTX680 SLI (1215/1605) \| OCZ Vertex 3 120GB SSD \| Windows 8 Pro Hazro HZ30Wie 30" \| Saffire PRO 40 \| Razer Mamba \| Coolermaster RP1000W SteamID: theyarecomingforyou

21.

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 16:57

CJ_Parker

Kastagir wrote on Nov 24, 2011, 16:34: On a side note, I sincerely hope these developers that have become so focused on the 360 and PS3 are severely taken aback when the new crop of console hardware shows up next holiday season. The developers that haven't neglected the PC market because they recognize the importance of customer loyalty and good game design (and the ever important link between the two) will be creating some of the first successful titles on the new hardware while people like Ubisoft will still be trying to shove their (then 8-year-old) console-based garbage down our throats, complete with draconian DRM and accusations of piracy. I'm not a console player - I loathe them. But I remember how bad some early 360 titles were because developers didn't know what they were doing. It is quite incredible how clueless some people are. I don't even know where to begin clearing up this mess but let me start by saying that no major console maker will launch their new console out of thin air with little or no support of high profile titles. Just not gonna happen. Long before the new gen of consoles is even announced Sony and MS will be shipping so called dev kits to the big studios out there so they can begin producing games for the platforms. The console makers will strive to get as many platform exclusives (= system sellers) as possible while the publishers will gladly accept the exclusivity fees. So much for your "PC is getting awesome games" pipe dreams, my friend. Actually with the even higher production costs of the next gen of console games I'm seeing a very substantial risk for future PC game development. I am fully expecting a rise in console-focused development and marketing and the opposite on the PC. PC gaming might only barely survive the X720/PS4 era. The generation after that might outright kill everything but indie PC games. Anyway, what will really happen once the new gen of consoles is here is that the new consoles will be getting all of everyone's attention for the first few years into the new console era. There will be the usual exclusives with majorly delayed PC releases (if at all), shitty ports because publishers can not be bothered to cough up the cash for a niche market and all sorts of shit that will annoy PC gamers to the point they'll just buy a console. Which is exactly what Sony and MS want you to do so all is good in the end. For them at least. And maybe even for you. Console gaming can actually be fun and decent with the PC elitist glasses off.

20.

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 16:54

Draugr

CJ_Parker wrote on Nov 24, 2011, 16:25: gilly775 wrote on Nov 24, 2011, 15:33: I wonder what excuse Ubisoft will use when they become Console-exclusive and all of their crap gets pirated. Whaddya mean "become"? They already are de facto extremely close to being a console exclusive publisher. Only about 7% of Ubi's sales still happen on the PC. The rest of the party takes place on consoles and handheld devices. It's funny though how in every thread a lot of you keep denying that PC piracy is a huge problem when we have industry insiders with access to sales data and statistics telling us the exact opposite all of the frickin' time. From indies to AAA publishers, we are seeing comments in the dozens, if not hundreds recently, that PC piracy has gotten out of hand and that it is hurting the business of any company that is attempting to do business on the PC platform. I'm finding it very curious why so many people on here at Blue's News and other places always scream LIES!!11 at these reports. But then again this is also the place where everyone is openly talking about try-before-you-buy stealing or just outright entitlement to steal because [fill in a lame justification for thieving]. So I'm guessing that in the end it is just self-denial. A lot of you just don't want to realize or accept that you are a major part of a major problem. That's fine. But please stop whining about the demise of PC gaming when you are helping dig the grave at the rate of a bucket-wheel excavator. My favorite quote form an article regarding piracy is this, "We looked at quantifying what the real losses are," says Christian Svensson of the PC Gaming Alliance and Capcom, "and it's incredibly hard to do, because you end up having to do a set of cascading assumptions that you have no real ability to validate in any meaningful away." I think it perfectly encapsulates the issue. We can all acknowledge its an issue, but at some point you just need to start guessing how bad it is effecting your business. Of course its easier with investors if your game fails because of someone else's fault, and not your own, so people seem to love having that be the issue. There are examples of games that perform better sales-wise on PC, or PC exclusives which have sold quite well. The mistake people make is they worry about all the thieves who steal their games and not the customers who make them money. I honestly think that piracy is blown out of proportion in terms of sales lost DUE to piracy. Just because someone is a thief doesn't mean they would have been your customer, and this is where people really start muddying the waters with the effect it has on their sales. Let's also take into account the lack of representation. Whenever there are concerns regarding piracy on a console, the console has a PR person who sits there and tells everyone piracy doesn't exist, has access to all of the numbers of sales, players etc. There are less gray areas when quantifying the effects. This is in contrast to PC, where anyone can make any claim like this, and its hard to dispute because quantifying their effects is also more difficult. You also then have companies like SecuROM, who release information regarding this, but their whole business exists based on the premise that piracy is an issue, so they really have no interest in anything but making it look like their program will be essential to the success of your product, they have a stake in the game so their information is quite suspect. In closing, if PC gaming wasn't profitable than companies wouldn't be doing it, they aren't charities. In this case Ubisoft basically did everything to make sure they wouldn't 'get invited to the party' so they are 'taking their ball and going home'

19.

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 16:40

CJ_Parker

Kajetan wrote on Nov 24, 2011, 16:32: CJ_Parker wrote on Nov 24, 2011, 16:25: ... rubbish ... I laughed at the end, i really laughed Laughing at one's own self-denial is typical for thieving psychopaths. No need to worry. You are a typical case.

18.

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 16:34

Kastagir

People were playing Skyrim on the 360 a week before the release date, so this guy's argument that piracy is preventing the PC from being profitable is asinine. Just like Ubisoft's approach to DRM. It seems like an aggressive DRM strategy is what they use as insurance against bad game design. Make good games with less intrusive DRM and users will be loyal. Treat all customers like pirates and they will loathe you, not buy your products and let everyone know how ignorant you are. The latter strategy seems to be working well from where I'm standing. Ubisoft can rot. On a side note, I sincerely hope these developers that have become so focused on the 360 and PS3 are severely taken aback when the new crop of console hardware shows up next holiday season. The developers that haven't neglected the PC market because they recognize the importance of customer loyalty and good game design (and the ever important link between the two) will be creating some of the first successful titles on the new hardware while people like Ubisoft will still be trying to shove their (then 8-year-old) console-based garbage down our throats, complete with draconian DRM and accusations of piracy. I'm not a console player - I loathe them. But I remember how bad some early 360 titles were because developers didn't know what they were doing.

17.

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 16:32

Kajetan

CJ_Parker wrote on Nov 24, 2011, 16:25: ... rubbish ... I laughed at the end, i really laughed

16.

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 16:25

CJ_Parker

gilly775 wrote on Nov 24, 2011, 15:33: I wonder what excuse Ubisoft will use when they become Console-exclusive and all of their crap gets pirated. Whaddya mean "become"? They already are de facto extremely close to being a console exclusive publisher. Only about 7% of Ubi's sales still happen on the PC. The rest of the party takes place on consoles and handheld devices. It's funny though how in every thread a lot of you keep denying that PC piracy is a huge problem when we have industry insiders with access to sales data and statistics telling us the exact opposite all of the frickin' time. From indies to AAA publishers, we are seeing comments in the dozens, if not hundreds recently, that PC piracy has gotten out of hand and that it is hurting the business of any company that is attempting to do business on the PC platform. I'm finding it very curious why so many people on here at Blue's News and other places always scream LIES!!11 at these reports. But then again this is also the place where everyone is openly talking about try-before-you-buy stealing or just outright entitlement to steal because [fill in a lame justification for thieving]. So I'm guessing that in the end it is just self-denial. A lot of you just don't want to realize or accept that you are a major part of a major problem. That's fine. But please stop whining about the demise of PC gaming when you are helping dig the grave at the rate of a bucket-wheel excavator.

15.

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 15:33

gilly775

I wonder what excuse Ubisoft will use when they become Console-exclusive and all of their crap gets pirated. Ubisoft rep: "We're announcing today that we have decided to forgo creating console games and are now moving towards creating board games." Morons......

14.

spilt milk... split hymen...

Nov 24, 2011, 14:35

space captain

awwww yeh, the air is thick today




Go forth, and kill!

13.

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 14:32

tuddies

You are dead to me, chinese Ubisoft!

12.

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 14:30

Sacrifex

Seriously, do these people not have any grey-matter to weigh their heads down? If you're going to want to sell something to people, now, or in the future, perhaps it would be a good idea not to go out of your way to issue an inflammatory statement meant solely to shit directly on their faces. If someone was going to give you their cash, you sure as hell are going to have a harder time getting it now - so, why say anything at all. These fuckin' people need to be issued helmets with built-in droolrags and get shoved in a corner.

11.

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 14:11

Sempai

Just close your fuckin mouth and run on back to your console money dickbag.

10.

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 13:41

Cutter

You akready screwed the pooch, sport. No soup for you...ever!




"Peter, breakfast for dinner is anarchy!" - Lois

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 13:37

Mr. Tact

Wait, people still buy Ubisoft games?

Honestly, I couldn't care less, just amused that anyone is buying their games based on the outrage over their DRM.




Truth is brutal. Prepare for pain.

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 13:36

Nere

If it is "not my part to talk about this" then maybe you should STFU.

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 13:33

Cheezzy0

"Allusions to piracy"? He didn't allude to it, he flat-out said it... "It’s hard because there’s so much piracy and so few people are paying for PC games"

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 13:32

xXBatmanXx

Doombringer wrote on Nov 24, 2011, 13:27:
B-b-b-b-backpedalling!

I could see one or two words getting mixed up and lost in translation, but he went on about how a PC version wouldn't sell well, possibly only 50k units, and seemed convinced no PC user would buy it (they'd only pirate it).

More importantly the ass hat said

so few people are paying for PC games

.

F him.




In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. / Few men have virtue enough to withstand the highest bidder. Playing: RL

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 13:31

Wallshadows

This guy is a dick and I won't hand over any kind of money where even a fraction of a portion will end up in his pocket. Good job.

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 13:27

Doombringer

B-b-b-b-backpedalling! I could see one or two words getting mixed up and lost in translation, but he went on about how a PC version wouldn't sell well, possibly only 50k units, and seemed convinced no PC user would buy it (they'd only pirate it).

Re: I Am Alive PC Follow-up

Nov 24, 2011, 13:24

xXBatmanXx

Verno wrote on Nov 24, 2011, 13:22:
Backpedaling so hard I think I smell smoke.

Yup. I will make sure not to buy any game with his name attached to it. In fact, I think pirating the console version would be the right thing to do in this case....




In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. / Few men have virtue enough to withstand the highest bidder. Playing: RL

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