DRM is a dicey topic. Yes, it’s a solid way to keep all the pirates at bay, but more often than not, developers and publishers drive possible buyers away with the restrictive nature of the digital rights management. Games in the past have resorted to copy-protection measures that punish those who come upon a game illegally, such as Serious Sam 3’s terrifying, invincible scorpion that refuses to leave the player alone. However, Greenheart Games, creators of the sim Game Dev Tycoon, have concocted one of the most interesting, reflexive techniques for teaching pirates a lesson.
Strangely, the developers willingly placed their project on “the number one torrent sharing site.” Everything about the game remained the same as the paid version, expect for one key difference. As the player’s development company grows, so does the level of in-game piracy – making success almost impossible.
“Initially, we thought about telling them their copy is an illegal copy, but instead we didn’t want to pass up the unique opportunity of holding a mirror in front of them and showing them what piracy can do to game developers,” Greenheart’s Patrick Klug said.
Financial collapse is inevitable due to the rampancy of illegal downloads in the game, which is intended to hold a mirror up to the player. The responses gathered by the developer at this time are priceless.
At this time, 93.6 percent of the game’s players are accessing the experience through pirated versions. A the end of day one, 3,104 users were estimated to be playing the game, but it's unknown just how this particular strategy will change how players perceive the project. Thanks to NeoGaf for the tip.
