Ubisoft the new EA

[BrightCandle]

Would you prefer it more if Ubisoft just let anyone pirate their games and you were the only paying customer? Sure, some people won't buy the game anyways, but if nothing is done to prevent it then what about the people who are in the middle? What incentive do they have to buy a game when everyone around them is downloading it for free?

There is a big assumption in there that the only thing making people buy games is the DRM. But DRM didn't exist back 30 years ago and strangely enough people still bought games. You know why that is? Because most people aren't criminals. But if you treat them all like criminals they get mighty angry. People by and large are honest but if you start with the premise they aren't it will kill your business as you accuse them all of wrong doing.

DRM hurts the people that buy the game, the people that pirate it don't have the DRM anymore and thus aren't hurt by it. It might delay the games release to the pirate circles a bit but those people that pirate aren't going to be paying anyway. Heck many of them might actually be the customers that bought the game, can't play it because of the stupid defence against the evils and end up having to get a cracked copy.

Ubisoft does far more wrong than just DRM, they whack out the same game mechanics over and over, produce very buggy games that are often near unplayable, they delay the PC releases like it was a surprise that they had to make it and are in the process of downgrading every game they make for PC to make the consoles look better and have them look "next gen" when they are actually struggling. Its all bad for us, and I would attest that it often means games that should be good, aren't.

 

[Tohtori]

There is a big assumption in there that the only thing making people buy games is the DRM. But DRM didn't exist back 30 years ago and strangely enough people still bought games. You know why that is? Because most people aren't criminals. But if you treat them all like criminals they get mighty angry. People by and large are honest but if you start with the premise they aren't it will kill your business as you accuse them all of wrong doing.

DRM hurts the people that buy the game, the people that pirate it don't have the DRM anymore and thus aren't hurt by it. It might delay the games release to the pirate circles a bit but those people that pirate aren't going to be paying anyway. Heck many of them might actually be the customers that bought the game, can't play it because of the stupid defence against the evils and end up having to get a cracked copy.

Ubisoft does far more wrong than just DRM, they whack out the same game mechanics over and over, produce very buggy games that are often near unplayable, they delay the PC releases like it was a surprise that they had to make it and are in the process of downgrading every game they make for PC to make the consoles look better and have them look "next gen" when they are actually struggling. Its all bad for us, and I would attest that it often means games that should be good, aren't.

This. Since late 90's when first implementations of Ubisofts DRM/copy protection measures appeared and prevented me to play the game I bought I have always installed the cracked version after buying the game... Or more often just left the game to rot in store, good riddance.

And after recent trouble with my paid for games disappearing from Origin and support being unable to help I will do the same with EA titles too. I just wonder how much companies like EA/Ubisoft afford to lose their customers before going under.

 

[cmdrdredd]

If nobody buys their games on PC and they lose money then they will effectively kill it off and just release games on console.

 

[TeknoBug]

Who remembers the "code wheel" with some games back in the 90's, if you lost that thing you were SOL. I hated using it when I wanted to play Grand Prix Racing or Front Page Sports Football or PGA Tour or so.

 

[gorcorps]

There is a big assumption in there that the only thing making people buy games is the DRM. But DRM didn't exist back 30 years ago and strangely enough people still bought games. You know why that is? Because most people aren't criminals. But if you treat them all like criminals they get mighty angry. People by and large are honest but if you start with the premise they aren't it will kill your business as you accuse them all of wrong doing.

DRM hurts the people that buy the game, the people that pirate it don't have the DRM anymore and thus aren't hurt by it. It might delay the games release to the pirate circles a bit but those people that pirate aren't going to be paying anyway. Heck many of them might actually be the customers that bought the game, can't play it because of the stupid defence against the evils and end up having to get a cracked copy.

Ubisoft does far more wrong than just DRM, they whack out the same game mechanics over and over, produce very buggy games that are often near unplayable, they delay the PC releases like it was a surprise that they had to make it and are in the process of downgrading every game they make for PC to make the consoles look better and have them look "next gen" when they are actually struggling. Its all bad for us, and I would attest that it often means games that should be good, aren't.

While you make some decent points, your first paragraph is flawed. Without modern internet you can't as easily pirate games, so the whole "games were still sold 30 years ago" thing means diddly squat. You're comparing a time when we can download games in a matter of minutes vs. a time when CD burners weren't even available to the public.

 

[BrightCandle]

While you make some decent points, your first paragraph is flawed. Without modern internet you can't as easily pirate games, so the whole "games were still sold 30 years ago" thing means diddly squat. You're comparing a time when we can download games in a matter of minutes vs. a time when CD burners weren't even available to the public.

So your claiming that I am kept honest only because I can't download the game for free over the internet. You need to look inside yourself if that is the only reason you don't do it, I am not person and I know many people who aren't. This comment says a lot more about you and what you would do than what it says about others.

 

[lupi]

They had DRM schemes in place when you were playing games off of a 5.25 floppy.