This War of Mine Dev Responds to Pirates with Free Copies of Game

[roseofbattle]

This War of Mine Dev Responds to Pirates with Free Copies of Game

11 Bit Studios' reaction to piracy is unconventional.

11 Bit Studios' This War of Mine [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/this%20war%20of%20mine] launched on Nov. 14 on Steam, and then shortly thereafter the game was shared on The Pirate Bay. While many people would be upset about their work being pirated, 11 Bit Studios went into the comments of the most popular torrent to hand out Steam keys for the game.

Karol Zajaczkowski, PR manager for 11 Bit Studios, gave out 10 keys to redeem a copy of This War of Mine and thanked those who had chosen to purchase a copy, but he also understood why some had pirated the game.

"I would like to say thank you to everyone who decides to buy the game and support us - because of that we'll be able to develop TWoM further and create even better games in the future.

If because of some reasons you can't buy the game, it's ok. We know life, and we know that sometimes it's just not possible."

Zajaczkowski noted the game is also available on GOG.com, the Humble store, and Games Republic DRM-free.

11 Bit Studios' Pawel Miechowski told Polygon there are different kinds of pirates. "Of course there are people that would pirate the game even if it would cost 10 cents, but you can do nothing about them," he said. "What many of us often forget though, is that there are also other people. Folks that are doing that, because they are simply pissed about the current quality of many games, or those who simply can't afford the game at the time, because of some personal reasons. That's why we believe that instead of treating everyone the same way, where pirates are the most evil people on earth, it's better to talk and try to find a solution, where everyone somehow benefits."

Miechowski asked people who don't have money to support the game by word of mouth and to encourage friends to buy it.

Some commenters replied they would buy copies of the game to gift to friends when they had money or were torrenting the game to try it before buying.

"Thanks for all the support guys, it really means a lot to the whole dev team, not only me," Zajaczkowski said in a later comment. "After all, we are all gamers and I'm happy to see that this idea can unite people, no matter whom they are."

Source: Polygon [http://www.polygon.com/2014/11/18/7240459/piracy-free-game-this-war-of-mine-11-bit-studios]


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[Entitled]

Even if the people who say that piracy is like shoplifting, only far easier to get away with, would be right, that's a pretty big difference in itself.

Realistically, piracy is here to stay, however you feel about it, so you might as well feel about it positively.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

These guys are kind of lucky. I wasn't aware of their game, and now I am. And this is the kind of attitude that makes me want to buy their game. And they're on GoG. Which means I get to support them and GoG!

And I just checked the game before I posted this. It looks amazing.

 

[senordesol]

I bought the game and it's worth every penny.

I applaud their attitude, but I seriously hate that they have to take that stance. Pay your entertainers!

 

[Kenjitsuka]

"or those who simply can't afford the game at the time, because of some personal reasons".
I happen to know this is the only way some people can afford to play games.
It really sucks, but sometimes people get too poor to get games even if they really want too (and used too) buy those games...

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

It is an unconventionally constructive attitude. I like these guys.

Perhaps "certain" devs could get over Piracy and just accept it as a fact of life instead of crowbarring in DRM everywhere.

 

[ZedOmega]

That was a very noble move on 11 Bit Stuidos' part, and Zajaczkowski's statement was the icing on the cake. By stating that inability to afford the game is one of the reasons piracy happens, as well as sympathizing with that reason, he's showing that he understands that some software pirates aren't the demons other companies I've seen paint them as. Seriously, the company deserves every single penny it gets from this point on because of it.

 

[Skeleon]

I noticed that this attitude seems to be particularly prevalent among Eastern European developers. Maybe it has something to do with the culture there? Less wealth? Post Soviet occupation? I hope I'm not stereotyping now with these simplistic notions. That said, the folks who run GOG (the people behind the Witcher games) have made various comments along similar lines about piracy, DRM etc. in the past. It's an attitude worth supporting. While I haven't bought This War of Mine yet, I certainly am a supporter of GOG and their business model. They currently have an autumn sale and even just today I bought something from them. I'll probably get This War of Mine at some point, but I have to admit I was a bit put off by the rather negative previews at one point. Haven't really kept up with news about the game nor read any actual reviews yet, though. The trailer at least was extremely memorable, but that doesn't say anything.

 

[Tanis]

I wasn't going to get this game, because, fuck DRM.

But, now that it's on GoG?
Yes, Please!

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

MY GOODNESS. It's like these dev's have a heart :-D

I've seen the trailer for their game before, and I was gonna keep my eye on it, but now this warrants a buy most definitely.

 

[Baresark]

That is a hyper rational statement that should be applauded. Maybe if we applaud it, others will emulate it. It's a fact, you cannot stop people from pirating software.

 

[lancar]

Piracy is here to stay, and has been for a very long time. I applaud any and all unconventional methods of dealing with it.

 

[Neverhoodian]

Good on 'em for handling the situation in a constructive way. Also, free positive PR.

Having said that, whatever happened to willpower and self-control? Call me old-fashioned, but if I can't afford something...I go without it. If you're boycotting a company or product, then you're willingly forgoing the use of said product. You're not going to die if you miss out on a video game you want to play.

 

[Entitled]

whatever happened to willpower and self-control? Call me old-fashioned, but if I can't afford something...I go without it.

That makes sense when going without has it's own benefits (for example if you don't want to take away a scarce product from someone else).

But self-control for the sake of self-control, is just asceticism.

Would the world be really be a more just place, if some Ukranian teenager with his dad's desktop PC, would act oh so righteous, and instead of keeping up at least with this aspect of culture, accept his deserved place as a poor person whose entertainment must consist of terrestial TV, and old library books?

Copyrights exist as a means to an end. In cases where that end is no longer relevant (no profitability is in question), 11 Bit Studios seems to be in the right mind, you might as well be permissive and let people have some fun, than getting all anal about expecting abstinance for it's own sake.

 

[Major_Tom]

I was going to wait and get this on sale (as I usually do), but thanks to this I'll buy it at full price.

It's easy for you first-worlders to judge, but imagine yourself living in country like the one depicted in the game and tell me you wouldn't pirate a game because "it's wrong".

 

[Erttheking]

You know while I don't think Piracy is the worst thing ever, I've yet to be properly convinced that it's the best thing ever. Sure I have no problems with that the devs say about this, but really it almost feels like devs can't get angry about their games being pirated without being accused of being anti-consumer. No matter what the circumstances are. Yeah, it's nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be, but it's hardly flawless.

Not trying to make a point here, just rambling.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

I feel... all warm inside. And this time it's not the whiskey. Would like to see this developer grow, almost like Undead Labs. Will spread the good word!

 

[odolwa]

Why not just wait for a sale? I'm dying to play the new Dragon Age, but I have to save up for a new PC and then save up again for the game itself. I'm not gonna cheat someone their due, particularly when I'm learning to program a game of my own.

Go play football, or learn an instrument, or language for fun while you wait. I mean you might even make some extra money on the side doing that. Piracy is just kinda shitty, particularly if it's a small indie group like these guys. I actually feel sorry for them as they can only go on the defensive here, or risk being called sell outs or money grabbers.

 

[Denamic]

Smart move. This is a game I only recently found out existed and that I have no interest in, but now I kinda feel like buying their game simply to support good people.

 

[Ark of the Covetor]

Good on 'em for handling the situation in a constructive way. Also, free positive PR.

Having said that, whatever happened to willpower and self-control? Call me old-fashioned, but if I can't afford something...I go without it. If you're boycotting a company or product, then you're willingly forgoing the use of said product. You're not going to die if you miss out on a video game you want to play.

That's nice, very upstanding etc, except he's not talking about College Duder #918 who chooses to buy beer with his recreation money and pirates a game rather than waiting a few weeks, he's talking about actual poor people. People who, if they didn't pirate, would have to give up gaming completely - I've been there, it's no fun. For a period of about six years I was stuck on disability payments; I started out that time with a reasonably specced rig from my previous job, and if I was extremely frugal with food and energy bills I could barely afford the cheapest internet package available, and that was it. I was very grateful to my family for buying aforementioned PC a modest upgrade in the fourth year, since it was almost seven years old at that point and struggling. I pirated games, I pirated movies & TV shows(I had to sell my actual TV to pay a particularly extortionate heating bill one winter), and I'm quite certain doing so prevented me from going nuts out of sheer boredom.

These days I'm(slightly) better off, so as you say I save up and I buy games when I can afford them, because if you can you should. But there are still plenty of people out there who barely have enough money to cover bare essentials, and frankly I think saying to such people "Hey, you know that only tiny shred of joy you get to experience in an otherwise grey and hostile world? You're a bad person for allowing yourself that, you should have more willpower mumble mumble bootstrap bootstrap" is pretty twisted.