Pachter Supports Ubisoft DRM

[Logan Westbrook]

Pachter Supports Ubisoft DRM

Market analyst Michael Pachter says that he supports Ubisoft's new DRM system.

Plenty of gamers took issue with Ubisoft's new DRM system, but it's found a fan in market analyst Michael Pachter. Speaking in his "Pach Attack" show on GameTrailers, he responded to a viewer question asking Ubi's DRM was a smart business move, making it very clear that he supports Ubisoft's decision.

"I'm an old guy. I'm ethical and I'm a lawyer by trade. I feel if you steal a copy of a game by copying a friend's file then it's like going into the shop and stealing a copy. That's how I feel about it. Please feel free to disagree."

"When a company sells you a game they have no problem if you resell it and someone else buys it and they have no problem if you give it away. If you make copies, though, it's against the law. The guys that ran bittorrent [sic] are in jail: it is illegal ... I think anything a publisher does to make sure you don't rip off their games is their right, and I think that people who steal should be in jail."

Pachter is well aware that this view will make him unpopular: "I welcome the flamer comments on this one ... we have no interest in your business since you don't pay for stuff anyway."

I can't help but feel that Pachter has missed the point a little bit. People aren't upset that Ubisoft used DRM; it's that it's such a draconic system. No reasonable person is going to begrudge Ubisoft trying to protect its revenue; it's the way the company chose to do it that garnered so many angry comments.

Source: VG247 [http://www.vg247.com/2010/05/30/pachter-using-drm-is-ubisofts-right/]


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[Earthbound]

I refuse to agree with this man on the basis that legitimate customers shouldn't be treated like criminals. Ubisoft's system of DRM is the single most disgusting abomination to ever hit gaming. I hope people like Pachter don't encourage Ubisoft to continue this.

 

[Nimbus]

Looks like Generic Industry Loudmouth #1 has just lost all his credibility. It's pretty clear that he has no idea what he is talking about.

 

[Hurr Durr Derp]

Sounds like Mr. Pachter should do a bit more research into the things he chooses to defend...

Even so, I can see how Ubisoft's DRM makes sense from a short-term business perspective. It's just a slap in the face of every gamer who likes their products, and the nasty thing is that the pirates suffer the least from it.

 

[Callex]

In all honesty, Steam has given me more trouble than Ubisoft's DRM. Maybe I'm just one of the lucky ones?

 

[LeonLethality]

When a company sells you a game they have no problem if you resell it and someone else buys it and they have no problem if you give it away.

um... Anyone else see something wrong here? I don't think he has seen what companies are doing to prevent used game sales...

 

[Flankhard]

"I'm ethical and I'm a lawyer by trade." lol

This upset me tho: "I welcome the flamer comments on this one ... we have no interest in your business since you don't pay for stuff anyway."
So everybody who voices a negative opinion on drm is a thief?

 

[Nimbus]

Even so, I can see how Ubisoft's DRM makes sense from a short-term business perspective. It's just a slap in the face of every gamer who likes their products, and the nasty thing is that the pirates suffer the least from it.

How does spending millions of dollars, to no end other than scaring away customers, and lessening the value of your products, "make sense" exactly?

 

[HK_01]

When a company sells you a game they have no problem if you resell it and someone else buys it and they have no problem if you give it away.

um... Anyone else see something wrong here? I don't think he has seen what companies are doing to prevent used game sales...

That's the first thing I thought too. He also loses all his credibility by making such a stupid and illusionary statement.

 

[Sixties Spidey]

I told you he was a fucking idiot!

 

[SavingPrincess]

-ArticleSnip-

Is he supporting the actual DRM that Ubisoft is pushing or the concept of DRM in general? The problem with Ubisoft's approach is that it does not punish the people who decide to steal/copy the game (I hate the term "pirate", a "pirate" is someone who murders, kidnaps, rapes and steals), but more frustrates only the legitimate users.

This might be a contextual misunderstanding (welcometotheinternet).

 

[Hurr Durr Derp]

Even so, I can see how Ubisoft's DRM makes sense from a short-term business perspective. It's just a slap in the face of every gamer who likes their products, and the nasty thing is that the pirates suffer the least from it.

How does spending millions of dollars, to no end other than scaring away customers, and lessening the value of your products, "make sense" exactly?

It's a near-sighted thing certainly, but Ubisoft seems (or seemed, at least) to believe that DRM like this will make piracy almost impossible, thus boosting their sales.

Of course this is wrong for several reasons, but if you're a games developer and your games are getting stolen, I imagine that any measure to stop such behavior would seem like a good idea. Especially since gaming is very big business these days.

In all honesty, Steam has given me more trouble than Ubisoft's DRM. Maybe I'm just one of the lucky ones?

Steam can be a real pain, but I think it's more the idea of what you get vs what you lose. You can still play most Steam games offline, but you can't play Ubisoft's games offline. Also, Steam does a bunch of things besides acting as a DRM, like being a distribution platform and a community tool. Ubisoft's DRM is just that: A DRM. It doesn't have any of the redeeming qualities that Steam has.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Yeah, not much to say since the Logan pretty much refuted this guy's argument before anyone else could. We don't care THAT there is DRM, just what KIND of DRM it is. I've been tempted to play an Ubisoft game on my PC, but there's no way I'm installing their current DRM on my machine.

How silly of him. From his comments on that he welcomes the flames, he appears to believe that if you oppose Ubisofts DRM, you're automatically a pirate. Very narrow-minded, I must say.

I myself have no problem with companies defending their products, in theory, but when something like the Ubisoft DRM, totally obfuscating and counter-productive, comes along, only a fool would support it out of principle, which appears to be what Pachter is doing.

Haven't you heard? All positions on any controversial issue can be summed up as being 100% for something or 100% against it. That's why the two-party political system in America works so well, because there are only two possible opinions to have and everyone's position remains the same regardless of circumstance.

 

[LunarCircle]

When a company sells you a game they have no problem if you resell it and someone else buys it and they have no problem if you give it away.

um... Anyone else see something wrong here? I don't think he has seen what companies are doing to prevent used game sales...

That's the first thing I thought too. He also loses all his credibility by making such a stupid and illusionary statement.

Pretty much what I was thinking as well, considering that EA and others have recently declared how they view the sale of used games.

 

[KeyMaster45]

(I hate the term "pirate", a "pirate" is someone who murders, kidnaps, rapes and steals)

I think the term came about thanks to The Pirate Bay, just my speculation on the matter. If anything since pirates (not the digital ones or the new asian ones in motor boats) have gained the reputation nowadays for standing up against the establishment...or some BS like that; the term has become a symbol of empowerment, and calling them as such only fills them with a sense of pride. Had the term never become associated with it and it was just called digital theft I feel the numbers would be much smaller. I say this because out of all the flimsy arguments in favor of it a very scary amount of them are made on the basis that they're part of some noble cause.

OT: Being that I bought AC2 for the 360 and not for the PC I don't care two ways about the DRM associated with it, but I can still see the problems it can cause. In that respect I think it could have been implemented better. DRM is the industry trying and failing to combat something you quite frankly can't combat without turning off the world's internet connection. Does the average legitimate customer like it? No, but its something we're going to have to put up with till a better way is found or the industry simply gives up.

 

[Phenakist]

The only DRM I agree with is Steam, end of story.

Ubisoft are going the complete wrong way about it, and a DRM shouldn't infringe on how we play a game, like 'Screed 2, infact the DRM is exactly the reason I havn't bought it.

And no, I havn't downloaded some cracked version.

 

[archvile93]

Clearly he hasn't dealt with the DRM. I also think he's incredibly presumptious by saying that the only people who hate Ubisoft's DRM are pirates. I hate it and I've never pirated anything ever.