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DRM Boosts Profits & It's Here To Stay

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Did that headline catch your attention? Good, it seems Square Enix sure does think highly of DRM. Seeing this made me weap for all gamer kind in another round of publisher/developer stupidity. If you have no idea of who I am talking about Square Enix work on the Final Fantasy series of games.

DRM creates so many issues as publishers force developers to use some really bad models, Sim City is the most recent case I can think of where a single-player game forces you to wait in a queue to play it, that's simply idiotic. The developers of it stated the game required the cloud to work, even though they are now working to implement an off-line mode for their single-player game.

This is my favourite quote:
QuoteSo long as we’re concerned about things like data privacy, accounting sharing and hacking, we’ll need some form of DRM

DRM prevents hacking now apparently. Silly, silly people.

What are your thoughts on this matter of DRM being apparently good for business? I would think GOG.com would have something to say about it that's for sure, good thing GOG.com will be supporting Linux starting this year!

Source Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Editorial
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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29 comments
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Smilex Apr 18, 2014
I have a feeling that you are preaching to the choir here.
Personally I hope that the companies with the funds, test every kind of DRM they can think of, so that both proper data can be found on the issue, and so that people might get burnt more often for games they buy, and then hopefully become better informed customers, through necessity.
commodore256 Apr 18, 2014
There is no magical form of DRM that prevents piracy while being convenient for 100% of paying customers 100% of the time. Hell, is there any magical form of DRM that prevents piracy?
Anti-DRM Apr 18, 2014
I can only speak for myself on this. I don't pirate games, so releasing a game DRM free will not produce a lost sale. However, releasing a game with bad or overly restrictive DRM will produce a lost sale. In some cases, I may buy a game with DRM, but not until it is dirt cheap.

UPlay - I would have pre-ordered Watch Dogs if Ubisoft wasn't using UPlay. I won't even buy it for $1 if it uses UPlay.

Origin - I only buy some EA games on Origin, and that is only if the game is not available on Steam without Origin. I think the only Origin games I have are the Bioware titles.

Steam - If I have to live with some DRM, then this is the place. Even here, I only buy games after the price has dropped and there is a big sale. My average purchase is between $5 and $10. The rare exception are games that are meant for online multiplayer only, like Left for Dead or Killing Floor.

GOG - Gaming heaven. If it is available here, then this is where I buy it. I don't mind paying full price to support a company that believes in DRM free. I pre-ordered The Witcher 2 from GOG.

I don't know why I posted so much, maybe it's because I hate DRM.
BigNyeTheBlackGuy Apr 18, 2014
As long as the DRM they use is Steam, Origin, or Uplay, then I don't care what developers think. I find all three platforms good enough to use. :D
Anonymous Apr 18, 2014
My impression is that DRM is mostly there to prevent games from leaking before the retail launch, that way it at least takes pirates a few days to prepare a crack before torrenting goes rampant and preorderers won't pirate the game just to get it earlier.
Anonymous Apr 18, 2014
As long as my downloads/installs are not limited and doesn't restrict single player, Having DRM does not dissuade me from buying a game... hell Steam is one big DRM platform. I think online-focused games get more benefits from DRM since most need you to authenticate a CD key or whatnot with their servers to play online. Pirating games with DRM also means you don't get updates, since you would have to crack every single updated executable. I do agree games like Sim City have taken it too far, though. There has to be some kind of balance.
Ivancillo Apr 18, 2014
I have 0 tolerance to DRM.

Even the gamers so beloved Steam.

The unique DRM I stand is Direct Render Manager.


As for my personal platforms preference :

1 - Humble Store / Bundle / Weekly <-- I only buy DRM-Free bundles / games

2 - Desura <-- This has DRM-Free Linux games too

3 - GoG.com <-- For DRM-Free Windows games, and future Linux ones

4 - Groupees. <-- Sporadically they have some interesting bundles of the style
tmtvl 10 years Apr 18, 2014
I remember when Helloween4545 compared DRM and piracy in a video, saying that people who pirate games have so many advantages compared to people who have to bother with DRM that it's ridiculous.
berarma Apr 18, 2014
If they think DRM is good for their business they're right using it. I know it's not good for me, so I'll stay away from it. In my view, DRM makes piracy look good, sometimes law it's not made in the best general interest.
Archimedes Apr 19, 2014
DRM encourages it's own removal merely by presenting the challenge to do so.
It's been defeated before and will be again.
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