EA Chief Calls Pirated Sims 3 a "Demo"
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
Good lord, did JR actually say a few things that made some kind of sense? My world has just taken a turn for the surreal. That's exactly what a lot of pirates, especially ones in the "first world" countries, consider their downloads to be... demos. And it's pretty obvious that sales weren't hurt despite the piracy, so why not treat it as a demo? Of course, this isn't really JR's opinion, we'll never see what his real opinion is. It's pretty clear, contrasting this statement with previous statements, that he'll go wherever the wind blows.
What about people who pirate it after its come out so its the full version?
Theres versions already with everything from the EA store out. Pretty sure thats not a demo.
Is there any multiplayer aspect? Like on Spore where you share your creations?
Sims isn't my thing so doubt ill ever play it.
Theres versions already with everything from the EA store out. Pretty sure thats not a demo.
Is there any multiplayer aspect? Like on Spore where you share your creations?
Sims isn't my thing so doubt ill ever play it.
Well I have mixed opinions. For starters I prefer the disk in hand basis for games. I do not like the idea of a good portion of the game being stored online (like Dawn Of War 2, and I guess The Sims) because then I need to use these DL clients like Steam, and 10 years later if I want to reinstall the game there is always a chance that the game will no longer be supported, or the company might even be out of business. Until companies can guarantee they will be able to support the game until civilization collapses, or the sun goes nova, the game should be playable on the applicable hardware once you buy it. You know, just in case I feel a hankering to play a 50,000 year old game on an antique computer to remind me of my youth. 
Okay that's extreme, but the basic arguement applies, and it seems to be the current technique advocated here. It also seems to be banking heavily on overpriced DLC packs and microupgrades which are already an issue as far as I'm concerned, especially when they are effectively charging extra for content that already should have been in the game.
Besides which, I am uncertain as to how exactly the philsophy stops piracy because all it means is that someone will DL the game entirely, crack the security, and then circulate the full version. Ditto for expansions.
Unless of course this is a diplomatic way of saying "we surrender" to pirates and kind of an offer to accept a symbiotic existance due to the fact that Sims 3 shows that a game can enjoy massive commercial success, and be heavily pirated at the same time.
Basically I have mixed opinions about the whole thing, just like my mixed feelings about the Industry Vs. Pirates to begin with.
>>>----Therumancer--->
Okay that's extreme, but the basic arguement applies, and it seems to be the current technique advocated here. It also seems to be banking heavily on overpriced DLC packs and microupgrades which are already an issue as far as I'm concerned, especially when they are effectively charging extra for content that already should have been in the game.
Besides which, I am uncertain as to how exactly the philsophy stops piracy because all it means is that someone will DL the game entirely, crack the security, and then circulate the full version. Ditto for expansions.
Unless of course this is a diplomatic way of saying "we surrender" to pirates and kind of an offer to accept a symbiotic existance due to the fact that Sims 3 shows that a game can enjoy massive commercial success, and be heavily pirated at the same time.
Basically I have mixed opinions about the whole thing, just like my mixed feelings about the Industry Vs. Pirates to begin with.
>>>----Therumancer--->
This is smart. Finaly companies get it that the only way to combat piracy (you cant eliminate it, only cobat it) is to reward the honest consumers- not punush everyone.
And it's not just something that someone can download and crack: user generated content is comming out all the time- so if you wanted to get it all, you'd have to download a new set of cracks every day.
I'll confess: Once uppon a time I had a pirated copy of a game, but I ended up going out and buying the retail version, because my pirated copy would run user generated mods.
And it's not just something that someone can download and crack: user generated content is comming out all the time- so if you wanted to get it all, you'd have to download a new set of cracks every day.
I'll confess: Once uppon a time I had a pirated copy of a game, but I ended up going out and buying the retail version, because my pirated copy would run user generated mods.
Well that’s a big pile of steaming horse shit, having played both the pirate and legitimate versions they are identical apart from the extra neighbourhood with the retail version. Although the pirates already have all the "additional content" including all the items from the store and the exchange.
I have my retail copy and I’m happy with it however I bought it on the strength of his promise that there was "significant" extra content in the retail version. I also said that if that wasn't the case then they would not see another penny of my money for content and expansion packs. I guess I'll be a little better off over the life of the game then.
I have my retail copy and I’m happy with it however I bought it on the strength of his promise that there was "significant" extra content in the retail version. I also said that if that wasn't the case then they would not see another penny of my money for content and expansion packs. I guess I'll be a little better off over the life of the game then.
CEOs usually aren't idiots. Making games more irritating to pirate is the whole idea behind DRM, and the same idea behind this. They shouldn't expect much that they can do to not alienate more legitimate consumers than pirates.
But I don't expect that this will prevent piracy, particularly of such a popular franchise. And as a previous poster said, the DLC has already been leaked.
This might lead to more draconian account management, which might lead them to favor a subscription-based model. Despite alienating a large number of fans, the gamble on revenue and the commensurate required improvement on security might tempt them into doing it. And if they're playing with DLC, that justifies a subscription model even more.
But I don't expect that this will prevent piracy, particularly of such a popular franchise. And as a previous poster said, the DLC has already been leaked.
This might lead to more draconian account management, which might lead them to favor a subscription-based model. Despite alienating a large number of fans, the gamble on revenue and the commensurate required improvement on security might tempt them into doing it. And if they're playing with DLC, that justifies a subscription model even more.
A quick search on any torrent site reveals the latest version of The Sims 3 with all currently downloadable content and a patch to update the game to retail release.
Though I guess pirates that don't search around for games and see a news article like this might decide to go and buy the game instead...
...though, I doubt it.
Though I guess pirates that don't search around for games and see a news article like this might decide to go and buy the game instead...
...though, I doubt it.
Really? No one thought "gee, this sounds just like what Valve said a couple months ago when they were asked why they were so successful" ? I mean, come on. There is no way that's what was intended. Don't fall for this crap guys. Be escapists! not regular sheeple.
Right...but if it hadn't sold three million copies, it'd mean that the fire had died in the Sims franchise, and that the game itself was terrible and that people weren't buying it on that alone, not that piracy had somehow crippled it beyond all return. It wouldn't be easy to blame piracy for that failure. Unlike the indie games with fresh IPs where piracy does play an active role in damaging profit, Sims 3 belongs to an IP with a consistent record of selling tens of millions of copies and is developed and published entirely by EA and EA owned subsidiaries. Riccitiello couldn't go "Piracy is killing the profitability of my game!" if the game sells poorly like the World of Goo guys can, because his company spent millions of dollars to make the Sims, millions that 2D Boy didn't have in developing their game.tendo82 said:
Anyways, it's interesting to see such a reversal from a company that as little as eight months ago was only allowing us three installations on Spore.
It does and it requires you to log in with a separate 25 letter key that isn't your serial before it lets you in the online store and the rest of the game. So every legal costumer with no internet(and sims being the most casual game in existence there's a large amount of them) gets the shitty "demo" version.JoshV said: