Ummm, Steam DRM is cracked like clockwork. There is a chance that, you know, that many people just bought your product because they liked it... weird, I know.
There is of course a chance that some sales were increased by there being no pirated version for a couple of weeks, but no one really has any way of telling that. But I'm willing to bet that it wasn't pirated because pirates weren't interested in the game, not because of some crazy new DRM they used (which is neither crazy or new). Those groups of crackers don't do it for public release, but it always leaks from them to the public. They do it for themselves and other groups. But they are falling into that logical fallacy where people will universally pirate it given the chance or that a pirated copy is a lost sale.
Really, it sounds like they had low expectations for their game. And now they are thinking in flawed terms about what their actual sales means.
There is of course a chance that some sales were increased by there being no pirated version for a couple of weeks, but no one really has any way of telling that. But I'm willing to bet that it wasn't pirated because pirates weren't interested in the game, not because of some crazy new DRM they used (which is neither crazy or new). Those groups of crackers don't do it for public release, but it always leaks from them to the public. They do it for themselves and other groups. But they are falling into that logical fallacy where people will universally pirate it given the chance or that a pirated copy is a lost sale.
Really, it sounds like they had low expectations for their game. And now they are thinking in flawed terms about what their actual sales means.