Illicit filesharing “killed lots of great developers” says Mike Capps
Epic Games has cited piracy as the key explanation behind group’s transformation from dedicated PC development to console-focused work.
The US-based indie giant – responsible for Unreal Engine technology as well as the Gears of War series – told Edge Magazine that consoles today offered more lucrative opportunities than the PC platform.
"If you walked into [Epic's Offices] six years ago, Epic was a PC company,” said the group’s president Mike Capps.
”We did one PS2 launch title, and everything else was PC. And now, people are saying ‘why do you hate the PC? You're a console-only company’. It's because the money's on consoles,” he added.
”We still do PC, we still love the PC, but we already saw the impact of piracy: it killed a lot of great independent developers and completely changed our business model.”
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Capps’ comments are echoed by a vast array of companies that have switched from PC dedication to multi-platform plans.
Frankfurt-based company Crytek, a close rival to Epic in the game engine business, announced three years ago that it would switch to multi-platform game development as a way to safeguard itself from piracy.
Numerous publishers still ensure their games are released on PC, though Valve’s digital distribution service – Steam – is emerging as the primary destination for the PC, largely due to how Steam has a proven track record of being difficult to illicitly play games from.
Today, few companies dare take the risk of publishing on the PC only without putting in place some kind of online verification process.
Some, such as Blizzard’s login requirements for World of Warcraft, are subtle enough to remain unnoticed. Others, such as Ubisoft’s ‘always-on DRM’ process, quickly become magnets for controversy.
I still believe the ultimate gaming platform is the PC, and no other market allows the customer to build on top of a great product but it is such a shame developers don't recieve their due and we turned to the evil that is the console. Hurray for Steam bringing it all back and using a non oppresive or draconian verification process.
Piracy is no new thing.... in the early 90s we used to estimate 1 legitimate copy for every 10 pirate copies on the Amiga and ST formats and that was in the UK.
It is well known that in some other european countries and particularly in South America the problems with piracy have always been mush worse. Nowadays in Brazil they even have that problem with the console markets.
The only way to approach this from a business point of view is to factor in the piracy and to use it to your advantage. Piracy does offer developers and publsihers a fantastic amount of exposure and awareness of their titles that otherwise would not exist.
Developers and publishers should consider using variants now used in the fremium microtrnsaction models so popular with casual games on the smaller formats.... use piracy to virally spread their games, build in a free mode and cut a lot of the content out of it, wihtout the use of online payment.
Use game design to make progress impossible without payment, use the pirate copy to your own advantage and build it in to your gameplan.
Jon, if a game design caters for piracy or the advertising does, then surely you're supporting piracy, which is what needs to be eradicated entirely?
You do have to wonder about the idea of using piracy to your advantage; if you can use them, you are helping to redress the balance and yet you are almost condoning their piracy. I suppose it is what EA / Bioware have done with their 'free if you have the code from the box' DLC, but they are quite quick to say that is about pre-owned software and not piracy.
The idea of making your whole game free, then recouping your loss with microtransactions was one I actually heard discussed in studio years ago. In essence, the idea was sound. On the other hand, trying to pitch it to a publisher was a more 'interesting' proposition...
So... piracy also made to create worse games with less story, less gameplay time and also no manual? No piracy made you to create a filthy game and then feed it with DLC´s so after spending 2 times the original price you al last have a "full" game? Or is because big companies are behind the consoles and gives you more b***s for your boats?
Yeah, sure, noone can modchip an Xbox360, a wii or every console in the market (for PS3 it's just a matter of time). But Pc Players, if you give them good products, they dont hesitate about buying even the collector's edition. Learn from Steam you as*les
I've been hearing the 'piracy' argument for years and it still makes me chuckle...
Anyone remember "home taping is killing music?"
I pirate every major PC release EVERY time. Use it as a demo then if the title is worth my money I buy it. Simple.
I buy a LOT of games. I uninstall even more.
Quality titles will always sell.
Not making the numbers you projected? Maybe it was just a crap game?
