- Any game developing third party can begin now to analyze the game (like which gameplay systems work well and how and why etc.?) instead of having to wait for the full version.
- Any third party interested in reverse engineering the game to learn about its architectural design has gotten a nice head start as a result of the leak.
- Innovative ideas, gameplay elements or systems, can be taken from the leak and copied into other games, again yielding a nice head start.
- Any third party interested in releasing a zero day crack has gotten a head start as far as analyzing the *.exe and looking for possible DRM anchors is concerned.
Your points seem a bit silly. For one, you don't actually have to play a game in order to steal its ideas. Anybody who's watched videos or read previews can do the exact same thing. Nothing DX:HR does is particularly innovative. It's not the first game to combine stealth, action and dialogue, nor will it be the last. Even if there was an idea that another developer stole, there was only a few month gap between the leak and DX:HR's retail release. It's not like you can make a AAA game in less than three months. As for dissecting the game and stealing code, there's only so much you can do without the source code. And the game is going to use Steamworks, which has already been cracked countless times.
As for the lawsuit, they aren't only charging $5000. They're charging
at least $5000, which means they're probably going to charge a lot more.
This comment was edited on Jul 7, 2011, 12:23.