BioWare to combat piracy through customer loyalty

by Jason Dobson { Jul 9th 2008 at 10:30AM }

Ask a hundred PC game developers about piracy, and you're likely to come away with at least as many ideas on how to keep games from being flown beneath the Jolly Roger. There's even those who have thrown up their arms already, sailing instead for calmer console waters or opting just to keep piracy 'in perspective.' However, when it comes to Mass Effect dev BioWare, fighting piracy is as trivial as simply making games that people want to buy by nurturing customer fidelity through DLC and engaging multiplayer options.

"That's ultimately the best, most successful path to prevent piracy," noted BioWare's co-CEO Ray Muzyka, "to have players that want your games, want to believe in them and think they're high-quality and realize they're going to get a lot of value out of them as platforms for long time afterwards." It's a great theory, though we imagine that getting players to want your game isn't exactly the problem; it's getting them to open their wallets for them that's the trick.

Tags: bioware, dlc, mass-effect, multiplayer, piracy

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

LiqwidZero @ Jul 9th 2008 10:36AM

I would never pirate a BioWare game. They deserve every penny that they pull from my pockets.

Will @ Jul 9th 2008 10:48AM

Nobody deserved a penny for NWN2. But it's probably not worth pirating either, so no problems there.

:P

Exo @ Jul 9th 2008 11:28AM

bioware didnt make nwn2

Tiptup300 @ Jul 9th 2008 2:53PM

Bioware, I will never pirate your games, as long as you don't pirate my rights with DRM.

GreyFox @ Jul 9th 2008 3:20PM

That idea that increasing the value of the game with support and community attention is an obvious one that makes sense but it directly contradicts their stupid DRM software in Mass Effect.

q3c @ Jul 9th 2008 10:38AM

They did not care much about customer loyalty when placing the ridiculous DRM on their products and limiting the amount of allowed installs. What a bunch of PR bull****.

ApolloIV @ Jul 9th 2008 11:05AM

That was EA man.

Dan @ Jul 9th 2008 11:19AM

The DRM wasnt as horrible as everyone made it out to be. Plus a simple call would reset the installation amount anyway, but is still a bit of a turn off.

It was the nasty drm by securemom( i beleive thats the drm company) that made ppl feel violated which I agree should have been watered down a bit so it wouldnt turn ppl off.

And whether it was EA's decision or not its Bioware's child, as a developer they could've step up to EA instead of being man-handled so badly...

Marty @ Jul 9th 2008 11:32AM

The developer just makes the games. As I understand it, it's the publisher who is usually responsible for the DRM.

Zertoss @ Jul 9th 2008 11:36AM

Doesn't make their words any less empty.

Also, it's spelled SecuROM, just so you know.

xGeneral DEATHx @ Jul 9th 2008 1:05PM

I liked "Securemom" better...it makes it sound challenging when it comes to seducing 30-something soccer mommies.

Dave @ Jul 9th 2008 10:40AM

Sounds good to me. Nothing annoys a paying customer more than having to jump through hoops to play a game they own. Pirates find a way to circumvent whatever copy protection mechanism is in place and are the only ones who get to enjoy the game free of the burden of copy protection.

Copy protection isn't a piracy-deterrent, it's a sales-deterrent.

Gronk @ Jul 9th 2008 10:41AM

Mass Effect (PC) only allows three intalls. Once you use them up, EA/Bioware tells you over the phone to Buy Another Copy. Ya, people are gonna stay loyal with that bullshit, Bioware.

The Kins @ Jul 9th 2008 10:52AM

Well, customer royalty and invasive copy-protection, at any rate.

michas_pi @ Jul 9th 2008 10:52AM

There will always be piracy.

But make a game good enough and that alone will curb some (I repeat, some) of the problem.

I like what BioWare is saying.

michas_pi @ Jul 9th 2008 10:55AM

I forgot to add that draconian DRM schemes suck ass and developers should stay the fuck away from them.

When I purchase a game I want to play it, not pre-activate, install, activate, register, validate game assets (I'm looking at you, Valve), and finally, FINALLY play the damn game.

It should be install then play. Period.

DangerMouse @ Jul 9th 2008 10:54AM

Sounds more like damage control to me.

rickytickytavy @ Jul 9th 2008 10:55AM

WHAT! Preposterous! Give the consumer power??? DAMN REPUBLICAN/LIBERTAIN SCUM BioWare!!!

This is sarcasm for you that are slow and/or Democrats.

Marty @ Jul 9th 2008 11:13AM

On average (in the US, anyway), liberal-minded people score higher on intelligence tests than conservatives, so GTFO.

LaughingTarget @ Jul 9th 2008 11:37AM

And IQ tests are a load of bullshit anyway. There aren't many differentiating factors between the two parties these days except for types of educational degrees pursued. Liberal arts degrees tend to be more heavily Democrat while hard science tends to be more Republican. Otherwise, not much different, especially in policy making. They both want to run your lives but use different methodologies to obtain the goal.

chispito @ Jul 9th 2008 11:42AM

@Marty - source?

Marty @ Jul 9th 2008 12:35PM

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/20/Opinion/Does_IQ_matter_in_pol.shtml

Not that I want to stray too far off topic here...

Dave @ Jul 9th 2008 1:02PM

Modern Republicans are not conservatives. That misconception might have skewed the results a bit.

Joeshie @ Jul 9th 2008 1:32PM

I actually have a graph that shows the average IQ per state from highest to lowest in the US. It also shows which canididate the state voted for in the 2004 election. Needless to say, just about no states that voted for Bush were above states that voted for Kerry in terms of average IQ. The few states that voted conservative and were above a couple liberal states also happened to be swing states like Florida, Colorado, and Ohio. When I get home, I would be happy to post the picture for you all.

@LaughingTarget

Wrong on numerous accounts. IQ tests aren't always perfectly accurate, but they are a reasonable gauge of ones mental ability, especially when you look at groups of people instead of just one or two. Also, most science related fields are pretty liberal, while conservatives have a lock on economic related fields.

Why do you think college campuses/professors are always so liberal?

BigD145 @ Jul 9th 2008 2:07PM

@Joeshie

Liberals certainly don't flock to Universities for the pay.

LaughingTarget @ Jul 9th 2008 4:19PM

Um, I'm not incorrect. Intelligence tests still utilize many eugenics techniques and are heavily biased toward prior educational attainment and cultural differences. Asking to identify a number pattern that involves division is not terribly useful for individuals not taught or have access to poor education. Intelligence is a general term for potential to learn, something current tests don't bother testing.

Also, engineers and chemists tend to heavily favor conservatism, as to financial and accounting professionals as you mentioned. To get in these fields requires a college education. Working as an educator tends to attract leftists (I refuse to let liberal be hijacked, Jefferson was a liberal, FDR and current Dems are leftists), but actually attaining higher education doesn't favor a political leaning.

NATO_Duke @ Jul 9th 2008 10:55AM

I think a lot of the people who bitch about the DRM/3 install issues are just bitching to hear their own voice. I have multiple PC's and I have never ran around and installed a game on each one, nor would I expect to be able to. We have multiple copies of the MP games we play, so that we can play online together. I wouldn't expect a game manufacturer to absorb that cost for us.

To expect every game company to allow their products to be used as defined by each user alone would be back breaking for them. Besides, the vast majority of PC gamers are fine with the security measures.

Marty @ Jul 9th 2008 11:16AM

I feel the same way, but just because it's an unlikely situation that you would want to install it on more than 3 computers doesn't make it okay to use crummy DRM.

So what's a better solution? I can't say. The bottom line is that BioWare is entitled to receive money for their games, just like everyone else.

HappyFunBall @ Jul 9th 2008 11:17AM

It's not the 3 install issue that bothers me, it's the SecuROM crap that they backdoor you with and you can't uninstall easily.

If Bioware actually did what the guy was saying, I'd buy their games, but any game that comes bundled with uninstallable malware, I won't buy.

Bioshock and Mass Effect and Spore will never find their way onto my PC, until SecuROM dies.

Biasmania @ Jul 9th 2008 11:19AM

Oh come on now, aren't you being a little too passive here? You purchase a console game, you never have to go through this problem, 2-3-4-15 years down the road it still works, if you still have the console to shove it in, or something backwards compatible. I upgrade my hardware all the time, I own 2 gaming pcs. Install it on both, change some hardware, reinstall and BOOM, EA says I have to buy another copy of the game. EA says I should buy multiple copies of a single player game, because they are afraid of pirates? Who suffers here? Not the pirate playing the cracked version of the game certainly. I'd rather them not release the game at all.

If something like this happened to you PS3, Wii, or 360 fans you'd be at EA's door with pitchforks and torches.

PeterF @ Jul 9th 2008 11:26AM

Why is it not okay to let your friend borrow your PC game, but its perfectly fine for your friend to borrow your console game? The 3 install limit says its not fine to borrow the PC one!

Marty @ Jul 9th 2008 11:34AM

Hey now, I agree - SecuRom / rootkits are complete bullshit. You can thank Sony for that little gem.

NATO_Duke @ Jul 9th 2008 12:07PM

I understand your concerns, but I think that there is a balance that has to be struck by the game publishers and by the end users. You all want to have complete open rights to do what you want, and that isn't sound to me. They have to make money on this product and with each security plan they use, there is some drop off on the amount of bogus users - even if there are some pirated still. They give up some control in releasing their products, and you too have to give up a little to use it.

As far as the guy basically saying its not fair you can lend console games to friends and not pc games - I fail to see how that matters at all. What does the PC market care that you can lend a console game to people? If anything, they would rather console games were not shared at all either.

The guy next door to me drives a much nicer car than I do, why don't I get to drive such a nice car!? Life doesn't work that way. PC games are not console games. His car is not my car.

BigD145 @ Jul 9th 2008 2:11PM

@Marty

It makes me happy that 64bit OS's tend to be almost immune to rootkits. On the flipside, DRM'd games tend to crash fairly often when they go looking for their own software.

BigD145 @ Jul 9th 2008 2:13PM

@NATO

You could ask to drive the nice man's shiny new car. If you two are buds, it might actually happen. I know I certainly wouldn't loan my console game to somebody I didn't know.

NATO_Duke @ Jul 9th 2008 5:54PM

I find it funny that I was downvoted because I dont support software theft. Cute.

KirbyMeister @ Jul 9th 2008 10:57AM

I think BioWare is getting itself confused with Valve, because right now Mass Effect on PC has the most retarded DRM I've seen.

P.S. Console games are not inherantly less piratable - it's just more of a PITA to modchip or hack your console but once you have the ability to copy one console game you can copy all of them.

Marcelo Abans @ Jul 9th 2008 11:03AM

Tell that the Cry(baby)tek guy. But what a concept, make a good game and people will buy it? GASP! this is why Bioware has such respect..

ThePerfectCompanion @ Jul 9th 2008 11:04AM

I'm not at all a big fan of PC gaming but I do hate DRM in any form so I hope that they stop it or make it less intrusive.

The only game that I might want on PC would be Spore.

Blue_Falcon @ Jul 9th 2008 11:06AM

Quite the optimists.

ApolloIV @ Jul 9th 2008 11:08AM

So I was on this site with pirates and their bays to see what kind of Mass Effect related fixes they may have(Cough cough) and I saw a download with a DRM crack. After clicking the link in the comments section I find some ISP's from Bioware are there seeding the information with some naughty data to screw the entire download. I don't know if that's awesome or not but I guess they forgot to add that with their whole "We stop pirating by caring."

Marty @ Jul 9th 2008 11:11AM

Ever since one of my friends in college almost got expelled for piracy, I've been a bit wary about game, video, and music piracy.

I know that it's an unpopular opinion on the internet, but as an artist, I can understand why piracy is wrong and I pay for my music / movies / games. It's only fair that the people responsible get paid for the work they put into the product.

Don't get me wrong - I completely despise the RIAA / MPAA for the way they handle these things, and I know that the money you put into these products doesn't always find a way back into the hands of the people doing all the grunt work, but frankly, I'd rather not see another good game franchise go bust just because too many assholes felt entitled to play for free.

ApolloIV @ Jul 9th 2008 11:34AM

Your right Marty, piracy is a dick thing to do. DRM is also a dick thing to do.

kobewan @ Jul 9th 2008 11:23AM

I think another strategy would be to release games at different price point in different regions. It seems unfair to ask people in many countries in Asia to pay $50 for a game when you can easily have a good meal at a decent restaurant for under $5.

Dirty @ Jul 9th 2008 11:23AM

Bioware is playing good cop, bad cop with EA.

I do believe in supporting the publishers by purchasing their software. I wish I could go back in time and buy psychonauts instead of just renting it (partial support).

Ian O'Rourke @ Jul 9th 2008 11:34AM

I don't support draconian DRM, but I'm afraid I see what they've said above as being wishful thinking. Yes, it's true that producing a product of value, that people get value from over time should result in people paying with their wallets.

Economics and all that.

The trouble is, it may not be enough. I'm sad to say it's all too easy to encounter people who have had this value. They've played games for months if not years. Had productive communities they've formed and been involved in for years. All based on PC games none of them have paid for. These are often people with plenty of income. I know these people exist.

One interesting experience (though this isn't the only way I encounter them) was WoW, as it was probably the first MMO to see an influx of FPS players. One thing way too many people said was WoW was the first game they'd paid for in ages as they copied everything else. This was despite the fact they formed guilds and communities around them that lasted years. And they still didn't want to pay 30 GBP for that.

There is a good number of people who just don't believe they should pay.

Jeff @ Jul 9th 2008 11:38AM

They should simply make good games with engrossing multiplayer aspects and demonstrate good value. The Orange Box comes to mind.

forestofdeath @ Jul 9th 2008 11:49AM

...and the world was right again.

lol @ Jul 9th 2008 11:52AM

Maybe I'm missing the mark here. If I have a 360, and a copy of Mass Effect, I can play it on my friend's 360, and their friends' 360s, and if my 360 bricks, I can play it on a new 360.

Meanwhile, if I get it on PC, I can play it on my desktop, my laptop, and a third computer...and then that's it? That's kinda lame.

If anything, they should allow 3 installs, and then a ROM-only mode, something where it can play off the disc just like 360 would. If it's not getting copied it's not piracy, right?