No PC Ghost Recon: Future Soldier [Nov 24, 2011, 1:09 pm ET] – Share – Viewing Comments
Though plans for a PC edition of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier was previously confirmed by Ubisoft, PC Gamer has word that the next installment in the Ghost Recon series is for consoles only, and that PC gamers will get Ghost Recon Online instead, which is apparently Ubisoft's new approach to PC piracy following their almost universally despised always-on DRM. Here's word from Ghost Recon Online producer Sébastien Arnoult:
We are giving away most of the content for free because there’s no barrier to entry. To the users that are traditionally playing the game by getting it through Pirate Bay, we said, ‘Okay, go ahead guys. This is what you’re asking for. We’ve listened to you – we’re giving you this experience. It’s easy to download, there’s no DRM that will pollute your experience.’
We’re adapting the offer to the PC market. I don’t like to compare PC and Xbox boxed products because they have a model on that platform that is clearly meant to be €60’s worth of super-Hollywood content. On PC, we’re adapting our model to the demand.
“When we started Ghost Recon Online we were thinking about Ghost Recon: Future Solider; having something ported in the classical way without any deep development, because we know that 95% of our consumers will pirate the game. So we said okay, we have to change our mind.
We have to adapt, we have to embrace this instead of pushing it away. That’s the main reflection behind Ghost Recon Online and the choice we’ve made to go in this direction.
It's stupid to be framing the discussion in terms of percentages, word definitions, etc. We are talking about a company here, and what they are interested in is money. That's the framing this discussion would be better off with.
Right now, Ubisoft has convinced themselves they can make more money by going the online route than they can with stand-alone games. Why that's the case is largely irrelevant - yes, they are blaming it on piracy, but who cares? If it turns out they are correct that they can make more money going online, does it matter if they are wrong about piracy?
At the end of the day, as PC gamers, we get to look at what they are doing and determine if it looks like something we want to be part of or not. If their online games are shit, well, off to other games. If they are good, then we can play them. Focusing on whether their piracy numbers are accurate or not, especially with no evidence to be had, is a waste of time.
Right now, Ubisoft has convinced themselves they can make more money by going the online route than they can with stand-alone games. Why that's the case is largely irrelevant - yes, they are blaming it on piracy, but who cares? If it turns out they are correct that they can make more money going online, does it matter if they are wrong about piracy?
At the end of the day, as PC gamers, we get to look at what they are doing and determine if it looks like something we want to be part of or not. If their online games are shit, well, off to other games. If they are good, then we can play them. Focusing on whether their piracy numbers are accurate or not, especially with no evidence to be had, is a waste of time.
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