Avalanche Studios Boss Reveals Secret Plan to Stop Piracy

[RA92]

HL2 outsold Halo. BF2 sold 4 million copies (out of the total 6 million) on the PC, while Crysis and Far Cry managed 3 million each. The Witcher, a brand new IP based around the premises of an obscure Polish book, managed 1 million. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. sold 2 million, and the devs earned enough revenues to continue developing PC exclusives. Not to forget Steam earned around around $1 billion last year from PC title sales.

The difference between the PC and console market is that PC sales are never good on launch dates, but they build up over a period of time.

The PC is not a niche market - it's a pretty big part of the industry. About time people start to acknowledge that and actually put some effort on this platform instead of blaming everything on 'teh piratez', and giving us shitty ports with 'Press Start'.

 

[deckai]

I agree, it's nice to see someone in the industry with a little bit of common sense...


Side-note: His picture reminds me a little bit of Anthony Hopkins

 

[antipunt]

I'm so glad I've bought just cause and just cause 2!
You might say buying their products is a just cause.

And why would you say that? JUST cause?

 

[_Nocturnal]

It's a great idea, and it's never going to happen. Some indie PC developers have adopted his approach but for major, multiplatform studios, the money is in consoles and the PC market just doesn't rate that kind of special love. As long as PC gamers want to keep playing the same games as the console crowd, the best they can realistically hope for is decent ports and DRM that lets them play the game without having to jump through too many hoops.

Er... you having a bad day or something?
Alternatively, have you been bitten by someone named Pachter lately?
Used to be, the news section was all about the facts, not staff opinions-presented-as-facts.

 

[Someone Depressing]

-Insert the Clapping Scene from Rocky IV-

Simply Brilliant, this man is smarter than f*ckin' Albert Enstine!

 

[ph0b0s123]

and the devs earned enough revenues to continue developing PC exclusives.

PC does not have exclusives. That's a console only concept. The PC just have games that dev's cannot easily do on consoles. I think people keep forgetting this.

 

[RA92]

and the devs earned enough revenues to continue developing PC exclusives.

PC does not have exclusives. That's a console only concept. The PC just have games that dev's cannot easily do on consoles. I think people keep forgetting this.

RTS games? There isn't exactly a demography to sell strategy games on the consoles, and I'm pretty sure any console trying to run Shogun 2 will burst into flames...

 

[Aeshi]

So essentially his plan is "Employ the people who ruin & steal stuff as a hobby and give them a job which will let them access all my company's data?"

No way this can backfire!

 

[ph0b0s123]

and the devs earned enough revenues to continue developing PC exclusives.

PC does not have exclusives. That's a console only concept. The PC just have games that dev's cannot easily do on consoles. I think people keep forgetting this.

RTS games? There isn't exactly a demography to sell strategy games on the consoles, and I'm pretty sure any console trying to run Shogun 2 will burst into flames...

Yes, there are lots of genres, like RTS, that only work well on the PC. But that does not mean they are 'exclusive'. Exclusives are titles that the console maker pays to keep only on their platform. PC's don't have this. There are PC only titles, due to them not working on consoles for whatever reason (amount of controls needed, graphics power, etc) but that is not the same as an exclusive. The paradigm is completely different. I think this gets forgotten a lot. The term exclusive only relates to the console market, where there is no technical reason for other platforms not to be a able to run the game.

The first crysis, starcraft and WOW are 'PC only' games, not exclusives.

 

[RA92]

and the devs earned enough revenues to continue developing PC exclusives.

PC does not have exclusives. That's a console only concept. The PC just have games that dev's cannot easily do on consoles. I think people keep forgetting this.

RTS games? There isn't exactly a demography to sell strategy games on the consoles, and I'm pretty sure any console trying to run Shogun 2 will burst into flames...

Yes, there are lots of genres, like RTS, that only work well on the PC. But that does not mean they are 'exclusive'. Exclusives are titles that the console maker pays to keep only on their platform. PC's don't have this. There are PC only titles, due to them not working on consoles for whatever reason (amount of controls needed, graphics power, etc) but that is not the same as an exclusive. The paradigm is completely different. I think this gets forgotten a lot. The term exclusive only relates to the console market, where there is no technical reason for other platforms not to be a able to run the game.

The first crysis, starcraft and WOW are 'PC only' games, not exclusives.

Ah... I never saw it that way. Well, I would still prefer we stay open platform.

And thanks for taking the time to clarify.

 

[Motiv_]

Consider me interested. Even if the game's shit I might buy it anyway to encourage this type of "DRM" in future titles.

 

[ph0b0s123]

and the devs earned enough revenues to continue developing PC exclusives.

PC does not have exclusives. That's a console only concept. The PC just have games that dev's cannot easily do on consoles. I think people keep forgetting this.

RTS games? There isn't exactly a demography to sell strategy games on the consoles, and I'm pretty sure any console trying to run Shogun 2 will burst into flames...

Yes, there are lots of genres, like RTS, that only work well on the PC. But that does not mean they are 'exclusive'. Exclusives are titles that the console maker pays to keep only on their platform. PC's don't have this. There are PC only titles, due to them not working on consoles for whatever reason (amount of controls needed, graphics power, etc) but that is not the same as an exclusive. The paradigm is completely different. I think this gets forgotten a lot. The term exclusive only relates to the console market, where there is no technical reason for other platforms not to be a able to run the game.

The first crysis, starcraft and WOW are 'PC only' games, not exclusives.

Ah... I never saw it that way. Well, I would still prefer we stay open platform.

And thanks for taking the time to clarify.

Why is the PC not staying an open system. I'm confused by your statement....

 

[RA92]

Why is the PC not staying an open system. I'm confused by your statement....

What I meant was I would rather have our platform continue to stay open, at the expense of some overarching manufacturer supplying us with 'exclusives' (and dictating what we should/shouldn't do).

 

[ph0b0s123]

Why is the PC not staying an open system. I'm confused by your statement....

What I meant was I would rather have our platform continue to stay open, at the expense of some overarching manufacturer supplying us with 'exclusives' (and dictating what we should/shouldn't do).

Was not aware anyone was trying to do anything like that, who could, no manufacturer owns the PC as a platform. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have the power to agree exclusive deals because they control development rights for their platforms. Also they have their own internal games development studios, like SCE for Sony, who only make games for their platform.

There is no such mechanism on PC's so no chance of their being exclusives as on consoles. The only thing that could be arguably close is Microsoft studios who are making a new AOE and Flight Sim game for just the PC. But they are games that are not console friendly.

So not to worry there is hardly any chance of the PC ever having the same exclusive setup that consoles do. It never has during it's 20+ year gaming history, and has no mechanism to do so in the future. It will always be open.

 

[godfist88]

He's right DRM is a joke. it doesn't help it just makes things worse. Including DRM in PC games is like selling a cake with a bear trap attached to it, and the trap goes off if you take too many slices.

now which sounds more appealing the properly paid for cake that will cut off your had if you eat too much of it. or the stolen cake without a death trap attached to it?

 

[RA92]

Was not aware anyone was trying to do anything like that, who could, no manufacturer owns the PC as a platform. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have the power to agree exclusive deals because they control development rights for their platforms. Also they have their own internal games development studios, like SCE for Sony, who only make games for their platform.

I was talking purely on principles. The AMD vs Pentium, ATI vs Nvidia, etc setup has resulted in a healthy market, and standardization (like that idiotic 'Sandy Bridge') will lead to stagnation.

 

[schiz0phren1c]

If I was Female I'd marry him.
pity most of the rest of the videogames developers are turning into the moral equivalent of "fox games" eughh.
that gave me a nasty vision.

 

[Geeky Anomaly]

This man is winning. No, really.

 

[RobfromtheGulag]

Talk is cheap, but even if all this guy did was acknowledge the problem it's nice to see some devs care.

And if all his games are as addictive as Just Cause 2 I don't think he'll have any problems.