An
interview on PC Gamer with Marcin Iwinski is a conversation where the CD Projekt CEO comments on piracy, saying now matter how many times
The Witcher 2 was pirated (which they estimate may have been as often as 4.5 million times), the game's lack of DRM was still the right call:
From the very beginning our main competitors on the market were pirates. The question was really not if company x or y had better marketing or better releases, but more like “How can we convince gamers to go and buy the legit version and not to go to a local street vendor and buy a pirated one?” We of course experimented with all available DRM/copy protection, but frankly nothing worked. Whatever we used was cracked within a day or two, massively copied and immediately available on the streets for a fraction of our price.
We did not give up, but came up with new strategy: we started offering high value with the product – like enhancing the game with additional collectors’ items like soundtracks, making-of DVDs, books, walkthroughs, etc. This, together with a long process of educating local gamers about why it makes sense to actually buy games legally, worked. And today, we have a reasonably healthy games market.
In any case, I am not saying that we have eliminated piracy or there is not piracy in the case of TW2. There is, and TW2 was [illegally] downloaded by tens of thousands of people during the first two weeks after release. Still, DRM does not work and however you would protect it, it will be cracked in no time. Plus, the DRM itself is a pain for your legal gamers – this group of honest people, who decided that your game was worth the 50 USD or Euro and went and bought it. Why would you want to make their lives more difficult?
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| 18. |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Nov 30, 2011, 14:11 |
^Drag0n^ |
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Prez wrote on Nov 30, 2011, 13:03: But CD Projeckt is doing it right. These guys are awesome. I've bought two copies of the Witcher so far and will be giving out more as Christmas presents, because this kind of goodwill towards gamers deserves to be rewarded. Agreed. Adjusting the way you do business to add value is the only way to win here. There is no way anyone will ever eliminate piracy. It's just a fact of doing business; something that becomes even more dominant in the Asian markets.
Kudos to them.
^D^ |
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Date |
Subject |
Author |
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1. |
Nov 30, 12:20 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Tim |
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2. |
Nov 30, 12:21 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Ruffiana |
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3. |
Nov 30, 12:23 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Jerykk |
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5. |
Nov 30, 12:27 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Mashiki Amiketo |
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9. |
Nov 30, 12:32 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Ruffiana |
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11. |
Nov 30, 12:38 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Mashiki Amiketo |
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22. |
Nov 30, 16:58 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
ASeven |
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23. |
Nov 30, 17:11 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Mashiki Amiketo |
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24. |
Nov 30, 17:19 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Halo |
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25. |
Nov 30, 17:38 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
^Drag0n^ |
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28. |
Nov 30, 17:58 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Mashiki Amiketo |
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6. |
Nov 30, 12:28 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Ruffiana |
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10. |
Nov 30, 12:35 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Tim |
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12. |
Nov 30, 12:38 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Suckage |
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8. |
Nov 30, 12:31 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
necrosis |
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19. |
Nov 30, 14:18 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
^Drag0n^ |
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20. |
Nov 30, 15:17 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
PHJF |
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21. |
Nov 30, 15:24 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
^Drag0n^ |
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29. |
Nov 30, 18:16 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Veterator |
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30. |
Nov 30, 19:49 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Sepharo |
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4. |
Nov 30, 12:25 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Verno |
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7. |
Nov 30, 12:30 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
necrosis |
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13. |
Nov 30, 12:39 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Verno |
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14. |
Nov 30, 12:43 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Mashiki Amiketo |
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15. |
Nov 30, 13:03 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Prez |
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18. |
Nov 30, 14:11 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
^Drag0n^ |
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16. |
Nov 30, 13:38 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Dev |
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17. |
Nov 30, 13:44 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
PHJF |
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26. |
Nov 30, 17:45 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Slashman |
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27. |
Nov 30, 17:49 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Elwro |
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31. |
Dec 1, 02:04 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
KilrathiAce |
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32. |
Dec 1, 09:12 |
Re: CD Projekt on Piracy and DRM |
Zoom |
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