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[Sendou]

They're saying they're going into F2P more for the PC market because in places like Russia and China, no one is buying their games, they're stealing them, but they will play F2P games that can make them money. And there's nothing unusual about that, everyone does it, there are lots of Eastern only F2P versions of popular Western games, but now F2P is viable in the West, we're going to see a lot more of those projects come out worldwide.

I understand why F2P feels compelling to publishers but there is some serious competition on that area already. How many F2P FPS game can we for example have? As I understand it F2P require a decent userbase to be profitable.

 

[Chev]

93%-95%

What in the Blue Fuck?

That just sounds like bullshit

Someone must have Steam statistics on those games

That just sound unfathomable

the world of goo guys had something like 90% piracy so it doesn't seem all that surprising.

 

[Anteater]

Didn't they claim this before?

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/11/24/piracy-stops-ghost-recon-future-soldier-pc/

 

[ampere]

I doubt that number is true. When I bought Revelations on PC and I had problems with Uplay and I googled to find a solution there were a lot of threads around detailing similar problems. People buy Ubisoft PC games, but that DRM is obnoxious

 

[2MF]

the world of goo guys had something like 90% piracy so it doesn't seem all that surprising.

And when I walk on the street I'm losing millions of dollars from all the people who see me without paying.

 

[Chev]

And when I walk on the street I'm losing millions of dollars from all the people who see me without paying.

Actually, technically in your case that happens because you didn't ask anybody to pay.

 

[jimi_dini]

People should not forget the Humble Bundle, where they asked people to pay whatever they like for DRM-free games. 0.01$ was fine. And piracy rate for downloading it straight from their site (!) was even 25% (and this number obviously doesn't include any other way of pirating those games).

http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/05/Saving-a-penny----pirating-the-Humble-Indie-Bundle

 

[iNvid02]

It's very attractive for publishers and developers who support the platform. It's maybe not that attractive for companies that do a quick and dirty port instead of a proper PC version.

depends on what you consider a quick and dirty port - i'd say something like dark souls defines it

the majority of ubi's pc releases have been decent and run well enough

 

[CecilRousso]

I honestly don´t care if the piracy is a problem for them or not. My part in the battle against piracy is just buying the game. The rest is between them and the actual pirates, so I´m not going to participate in a DRM system that brings no benefit to me, but instead only serves as a source of technical problems. There is enough interesting games that I can take my money elsewhere instead.

Them admitting that it doesn´t even work, as he does in the article, just makes me feel better about my descision to not accept this.

 

[Eideka]

Meanwhile The Witcher 2 sold more than 1 million on PC, and without DRM !

Take notice Ubi Soft.

 

[megalowho]

Ubisoft thinks all PC gamers are pirates, not even a little bit surprising. Their entire PC strategy for the past generation has revolved around this (erroneous) notion.

 

[Joni]

People should not forget the Humble Bundle, where they asked people to pay whatever they like for DRM-free games. 0.01$ was fine. And piracy rate for downloading it straight from their site (!) was even 25% (and this number obviously doesn't include any other way of pirating those games).

http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/05/Saving-a-penny----pirating-the-Humble-Indie-Bundle

All Ubisoft's fault. Way easier to blame Ubisoft for the people here instead of realizing that there is a piracy problem on PC. A couple of big hits like Diablo III and Skyrim don't change that. If you go looking around, you'll probably find a million or so people that downloaded Skyrim. I don't know about Diablo III, but I wouldn't use a game that requires always online as an example of good PC DRM to Ubisoft.

 

[Gattsu25]

It should also be noted that the "success" of the DRM lead to a decrease of 90% sales on Ubisoft titles, something that Ubisoft never publicly adressed.

I contributed to that reduction. With very few exceptions (Rayman, HOMMVI), I don't buy Ubi games on PC anymore.

What I do instead is buy their games, used, on consoles without buying the online passes.. even if the savings from the used sale is just $5.

It's been this way with me ever since their bullshit DRM policy started. I couldn't play HOMMVI for days while their fucking uplay servers were down. Killed all interest I had in even that game and their DRM has effectively killed all interest I had in supporting their company, though I would never revert to piracy (or even using cracks to allow me to play legitimately owned software.


Edit: for some reason I forgot that HOMMV existed and was under the impression that 6 was the 5th in the series..

 

[Corky]

wow, this myth is never going to die is it. their aggressive DRM strategy was a huge failure, it bit them in the ass and they had to scrap it.
the only counter measure they have against piracy now is delaying PC release by a few weeks to a month

Wait... you're telling me I can finally play HoMM6 without not being able to reach my save-file if Uplay is down?

 

[Demon Ice]

Pahaha, 93-95%, and F2P is magically going to make them more money...


Maybe if they put some effort into the PC versions of games. PC Ghost Recon Future Warrior was utter garbage.

 

[Prophet Steve]

Wait... you're telling me I can finally play HoMM6 without not being able to reach my save-file if Uplay is down?

I think it only means you can disconnect during play, but you still need to authenticate to the servers when starting.

 

[2MF]

I don't know if you guys know any pirates, but I do and many of them are hoarders. They download more crap than they could possibly watch/listen to/play even if they did nothing else 24/7. So Ubisoft's numbers may be technically correct but still irrelevant...

 

[SparkTR]

The longer they can delay a cracked the more potential sales.

That's what I expect they tell their investors, on paper it all adds up and that's all that matters to the higher ups. In reality that very same heavy handed response is likely the reason for their PC sales dropping 90%, and the reason their brand is viewed a poison to the PC gaming community even though they've eased up their DRM (though that's not saying much considering the abomination Always-On was).

At some point they have to start focusing on their customers and end the quest to track down the mythical lost sales. Valve realize this, Paradox realise this, THQ realise this, countless indie developers realise this, hell even Sega and Bethesda realise this and they've all found success on the platform. The sooner Ubisoft matures and starts thinking outside of their warped corporate bubble the better off they'll be on the platform.

People should not forget the Humble Bundle, where they asked people to pay whatever they like for DRM-free games. 0.01$ was fine. And piracy rate for downloading it straight from their site (!) was even 25% (and this number obviously doesn't include any other way of pirating those games).

http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/05/Saving-a-penny----pirating-the-Humble-Indie-Bundle

Lets also not forget that the latest HiB earlier this year raised over five million dollars, completely crushing the previous records.

 

[PaleFolklore]

Why didn't the writer call this guy out on his bullshit? Surely that would have made a batter story.

 

[Metalmurphy]

" A company spokesperson told PC Gamer that the strategy had resulted in "a clear reduction in piracy of our titles which required a persistent online connection, and from that point of viewthe requirement is a success."

But did it result in an increase in sales? My guesses are that no, it didn't.

 

[LuchaShaq]

Even if their statistics are even slightly accurate.

Due to their bullshit tactics they went from

Hundred of thousands of legit PC sales and ten mil pirated copies

to

tens of thousands of legit pc sales and a mil or 2 pirated.


You lost in this change Ubisoft.

 

[aeolist]

I wonder how many people buy copies of their games and then torrent the cracked versions just so they don't have to deal with the DRM

 

[jimi_dini]

Lets also not forget that the latest HiB earlier this year raised over five million dollars, completely crushing the previous records.

Of course it was a success. But it's a real shame that so many people pirate even in such situation. I mean that's 4 buyers and 1 pirate, even if it's possible to be a buyer for 0.01$ and they even brazenly downloaded it from the developer's own servers.

But yes, Ubisofts DRM also inflates the piracy rate (actually lowers the amount of people that buy their games).

 

[c0Zm1c]

I'm pretty sure the actual figure for piracy rate would be impossible to determine. It's something best to keep quiet about and not go making slanderous statements. You know, in the same way console game piracy rate is never mentioned because it too would look bad?

For such an established company this is surprisingly unprofessional.

 

[SparkTR]

Of course it was a success. But it's a real shame that so many people pirate even in such situation. I mean that's 4 buyers and 1 pirate, even if it's possible to be a buyer for 0.01$ and they even brazenly downloaded it from the developer's own servers.

But yes, Ubisofts DRM also inflates the piracy rate (actually lowers the amount of people that buy their games).

It wouldn't surprise me if most of those were kids without credit cards or people who forgot their download link. Regardless, I was just illustrating my point that developers should focus on maximizing sales, not minimizing piracy as they're not the same thing. The recent HiB is a good example of that, despite the piracy concerns of the first bundle they continued their pro-consumer no DRM stance and they were rewarded greatly in the subsequent ones.

 

[Glass Rebel]

Of course it was a success. But it's a real shame that so many people pirate even in such situation. I mean that's 4 buyers and 1 pirate, even if it's possible to be a buyer for 0.01$ and they even brazenly downloaded it from the developer's own servers.

From your link:

So why are people sharing the Humble Bundle, when they could get it just by donating a penny to charity? We can only speculate, but here are some possible reasons:

Some might want to donate, but it seems a whole lot easier to just click on a hyperlink than it is to enter a credit card number. Sure, it only takes a couple seconds, but for many, this is a few seconds too long. The most successful online stores all allow one-click buying, including Amazon, Steam and iTunes. In the words of one gamer, Steam showed him that he "wasn't cheap, just lazy," and I'm sure he's not alone in that realization.

Some users may want to share the bundle with their friends, and decide that it's easier to just make one donation for a larger amount than it is to make separate gift donations.

Some users may live in countries where none of our three processors (PayPal, Google Checkout, and Amazon) are accepted. These users might pay if they could, but they feel that they have no choice but to search for shared copies.

Some users just want to "stick it to the man", and be edgy and rebellious. It doesn't matter if they're sticking it to indie developers, sick children, and online civil liberties... they're sticking it to someone, so they feel cool.

 

[fritolay]

If they look at people who download utilities so they can actually play the game without the DRM, this isn't someone who pirated your game Ubisoft. This is a sale to a customer and you screwed them with bad policies. Then you make them one of your numbers? Bad bad Ubisoft.

Meanwhile in the Wii U thread "these Ubisoft games look awesome!"...

 

[Twinduct]

Man I shouldn't have paid for my software, clearly it makes no difference.

 

[liezryou]

Free to play is the new way to go on PC. Back in early beta testing of League of legends, when they told us it was going to be f2p, we all laughed and scoffed. And then it became one of the biggest games in the world. Touche riot, touche.

No, not at all.

They're saying they're going into F2P more for the PC market because in places like Russia and China, no one is buying their games, they're stealing them, but they will play F2P games that can make them money. And there's nothing unusual about that, everyone does it, there are lots of Eastern only F2P versions of popular Western games, but now F2P is viable in the West, we're going to see a lot more of those projects come out worldwide.

Don't forget the indian subcontinent (~17% of the world's population), despite being 3rd world countries we do game and there is like 99% piracy rate here xD.

 

[Muramasa]

I don't know if you guys know any pirates

I was a mod in a sharing forum. You have type A "will never pay, fuk dat company" and type B "Have no money, will pay only for online where i spend 1000hours" and some dudes inbetween. The ones that really suffer from piracy are games from smaller studios. The PSP was also a major victim of piracy. But Ubisoft are just idiots.

 

[Mister0079]

Ubisucks.

 

[pilonv1]

Remember when Ubisoft used a hacked no-cd crack as a patch for Rainbow Six Vegas 2?

 

[Pranay]

I guess countries like India and Russia where population is high do increase the numbers of pirate %

 

[BruiserBear]

I've got just one question for those talking about stronger DRM = more piracy. How do you explain this?


http://kotaku.com/5535744/why-are-people-pirating-a-charity-game


http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/05/Saving-a-penny----pirating-the-Humble-Indie-Bundle

 

[Glass Rebel]

I've got just one question for those talking about stronger DRM = more piracy. How do you explain this?


http://kotaku.com/5535744/why-are-people-pirating-a-charity-game


http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/05/Saving-a-penny----pirating-the-Humble-Indie-Bundle

You'd do well to read the links you post....

 

[PetriP-TNT]

If you count out the blockbuster title (AssCreed) that is percentage is entirely possible.

 

[DocSeuss]

A company spokesperson told PC Gamer that the strategy had resulted in "a clear reduction in piracy of our titles which required a persistent online connection, and from that point of view the requirement is a success."

So...

From another point of view... what?

Did Ubisoft's overall PC sales drop as well, and from that point of view, it did not succeed?

 

[Eideka]

I guess countries like India and Russia where population is high do increase the numbers of pirate %

Considering how expensive games are in those countries this is no wonder.

 

[liezryou]

I've got just one question for those talking about stronger DRM = more piracy. How do you explain this?


http://kotaku.com/5535744/why-are-people-pirating-a-charity-game


http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/05/Saving-a-penny----pirating-the-Humble-Indie-Bundle

1) Poverty
2) Lack of access to online payment (Whether it be because they are too young or because they literally have no access [third world countries etc.])
3) Try before buy

I'm sure there are more but those are the ones that come to mind.

 

[Interfectum]

such a disingenuous percentage.... 90% of those people probably would've never bought/played the game if they didn't pirate it.

the key number would be actual sales numbers. percentages are useless.

 

[dekline]

UBI...You're the only one to blame

 

[NBtoaster]

At Gamescom last week Ubisoft announced a raft of PC exclusive F2P titles, including Silent Hunter Online, Anno Online, The Settlers Online and Heroes of Might Heroes Online. It's also got Shootmania Storm and Ghost Recon Online in the works.

News to me!

 

[Iztli]

There are no penniless English, American, Canadian, Mexican kids also pirating the game? I love how these penniless Russian and Brazilian kids do have enough money to afford computers that could run these games. Man, we should start a petition for these poor souls. I also think Porsche should offer me a product I could "realistically afford".

We all know piracy is out of control. To deny this is just burying your head in the sand. Do you think companies like Blizzard and Ubisoft are developing these DRM practices JUST to fuck with the consumer? People much smarter than us are running these multi million dollar companies and they know they are losing millions to pirates. They know something has to be done. Are the numbers as bad as Ubisoft claims? I'm in no way informed enough about THEIR numbers to make that call. But I will trust a gaming company that has provided me many hours of entertainment over a random person on the internet.

I guess Gabe Newell's opinion doesn't matter since hes only responsible for the most successful DD service.

Gabe Newell

"We think there is a fundamental misconception about piracy. Piracy is almost always a service problem and not a pricing problem," he said. "If a pirate offers a product anywhere in the world, 24 x 7, purchasable from the convenience of your personal computer, and the legal provider says the product is region-locked, will come to your country 3 months after the US release, and can only be purchased at a brick and mortar store, then the pirate's service is more valuable. Most DRM solutions diminish the value of the product by either directly restricting a customers use or by creating uncertainty."

The proof is in the proverbial pudding. "Prior to entering the Russian market, we were told that Russia was a waste of time because everyone would pirate our products. Russia is now about to become [Steam's] largest market in Europe,".

 

[zou]

wow, this myth is never going to die is it. their aggressive DRM strategy was a huge failure, it bit them in the ass and they had to scrap it.
the only counter measure they have against piracy now is delaying PC release by a few weeks to a month

I can't play Dawn of Discovery because their activation servers are fucked up. Steam can't help and Ubi doesn't give a fuck. Myth my fucking ass.

Edit: This is funny.

driver san fran resolution only goes up to 1920x1080
i cant play online because server disconnect appears, and cant play story
because it disables save game

if ubisoft started giving a shit about PC then maybe things would pickup

the only thing im buying from them for PC is assassins creed, shit is pathetic

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=31634898&postcount=10

 

[Phanatic8390]

Wow. Since its nearly a 1 to 1 ratio does this mean that I've been fighting piracy with the all the Ubisoft PC games I've refused to buy and play?

 

[Doctor Decimate]

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/201...2p-is-because-of-95-piracy-rates/#more-121104

Rock Paper Shotgun wrote a pretty good response to this

 

[outsida]

Man screw Ubisoft...

 

[lexi]

Fuck right off, Ubisoft. It's like you're begging me to pirate.

 

[SparkTR]

I've got just one question for those talking about stronger DRM = more piracy. How do you explain this?


http://kotaku.com/5535744/why-are-people-pirating-a-charity-game


http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/05/Saving-a-penny----pirating-the-Humble-Indie-Bundle

I'll point you to this. They stuck to their pro-consumer, no DRM methods and they were rewarded for it. You don't get sales by heavy-handedly fighting piracy, you get them by focusing on your customers.

 

[PrimaNocta]

Don't play PC games but the few friends I have that still play PC pirate atleast 7/10 games played, so though I think this figure its really high, I do believe piracy is more of a problem than some of ya make it out to be.