Square Enix speaks out on Chrono Trigger piracy

by Chris Greenhough on Nov 20th 2008 4:00PM

Square Enix has reacted to the rampant piracy of Chrono Trigger DS by declaring itself to be "vigorously against" the illegal distribution of games, and warning that it expects a sharp drop in Chrono Trigger sales as a result. As we reported yesterday, the eagerly anticipated RPG shipped with a whole series of piracy checks, only for hackers to break those within hours of the game being dumped online for download. It's difficult not to feel sorry for Square Enix, and equally hard to see practical solutions.

In slightly happier news (well, for the fans, anyway), the (Japan-based) Chrono Trigger fan club is giving away copies of the game's soundtrack (as seen above) to 3,000 customers who actually buy the game -- two of which will be autographed by composer Yasunori Mitsuda. See: it pays not to yarr.

Source: Square responds to piracy [via Go Nintendo]
Source: Chrono Trigger soundtrack

Tags: chrono-trigger, flashcart, piracy, rpg, soundtrack, square-enix, yarr

Reader Comments (69)

I'll admit, I have pirated the game and am currently playing it, and loving it. However, I alsolutely plan to buy it, maybe not immediately when it's released as I'm quite broke, but maybe with some holiday money, because I want to support Square Enix and Chrono Trigger(sequels?). I will say that back in '95 when the game came out I paid $85 for the SNES cart. Anywho, just letting folks know that not all of those that have pirated it do not plan on buying it.

The solution would have been to release this for download on the Wii instead of making a whole new cart.

Wow...that's absolutely ridiculous. People need to really stop (although I know they won't) and spend the $$ for the games. It'd be really funny to see how those same folks react if they had a cease & desist order hanging on their front door knockers. And don't give me that "I use my flashcart to put all my games onto so I don't have to switch them out" excuse either. How many seconds does it take to swap out DS carts? And on top of that, I actually have some very nice DS cart holders that hold 3 DS carts per case and they slip right into your pocket. C'mon.

Lighten up dude. Its gonna be ok.

If you're happy with four games and no homebrew, then good for you. I'd much rather have my DS with a flashcart in it and my ~20 games loaded onto it for road trips than have to lug around all the individual cartridges. The biggest benefit though, is that I can backup save files, so I can save unlimited songs and instruments in the DS-10.

I admit I occasionally try games that I don't own, but if I like them, then I buy them, and if I don't then I delete them. If it weren't for my R4, Square wouldn't have gotten my money for TWEWY or Space Invaders Extreme.

You can store a few dozen games on a memory stick, which comes in handy when you want to play one or two games, and have a bunch of multiplayer games in the event you feel like playing some Tetris or Mario Kart.

Why would you oppose someone who does that out of convenience if they're still buying the games? It's the same as putting a CD you own onto your mp3 player. Legitimate customers are not the problem.

I own over 60 DS games, and I DO use a CycloDS so I don't need to swap out Game Cards. Plus, I can keep A LOT of DS games with me at once this way.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v348/BPMdotEXE/Random/CycloDS.png

I've 59 DS games on my CycloDS. Out of those only 5 I don't own (the ACWW and Pok�mon distribution things, the two Club Nintendo games, and the DS browser). Everything else I own legitimately, and have even backed up the ROMs myself (along with my save files).

Plus, another advantage to running off of a flash cart is games save A LOT faster (In Pok�mon, saving a game takes less than a second, even when it says "saving a lot of data"!).

However, I'm more than certain I'm the exception, not the rule. But don't assume everyone is a smelly pirate hooker.

Well to be fair Square has made buckets of money on this game already...

Pay $40 for a game that's a direct port and been ported once already? No thanks. I won't be pirating the game, but I won't be buying it, either. I'm sure that anyone who has enjoyed the benefits of emulation (not myself) has played this game to death already. I'll stick to my SNES version, that was only $20 when I bought it. :P

And just to clarify, yes, I am well aware of the extra dungeon, ending, and boss, but does that really justify its expensive price tag? Perhaps this will be a good reality check to the Japanese conglomerate that they need to start rethinking their pricing strategy. This is why their portable hits are few and far between, with innovative games like "The World Ends With You" end up underselling, because they are price skimming innovative titles that halt them from becoming truly successful. Get rid of Square-Enix -- I want Squaresoft back.

Agreed. We shouldn't be paying full price + Square-Enix Tax for a game that belongs on Virtual Console. Yes, I get that it's a remake and it's super awesome I can play it on the go, but you have to admit the only reason they didn't put it on VC is so they can charge whatever the hell they want for it.

Besides, I've been buying used games forever and no one started whining about that until a few months ago. If Squae-Enix weren't whining about piracy, they'd whine about that.

Why have people started whining about used games lately?

I really have never heard anything against used games until lately. What caused that? Why is everyone so anti-used games all of a sudden?

Accidentally posted this outside the thread, but all you need to know of is the evils of SecuROM, and how companies are losing out of a lot of sales due to the second-hand market. In these tremultuous economic times, the gaming industry giants are trying multiple ways to make the most money in their own way.

Sega Genesis Collection contains Phantasy Star II, III and IV as well as Sword of Vermillion and over 20 other games. I paid $15 new for the PSP flavor, and I think it launched at $30.

I'm not trying to be a drama queen, but seeing what Capcom pulled off with Mega Man Powered Up (another PSP game, sorry, it's really good though!) I expect much better than what Square-Enix is doing.

Well, a nice piracy protection would be deleting all the save data when you have 70%+ completed, so you are already too deep inside the game, but you can�t reach the end.

other cool piracy protection would be changing every NPC dialog to something like "BUY THE GAME, YOU @#%$!!!!!!"

Now that the threat to terrorism has stopped -homeland security can start r4 patrol..its either that or border patrol. Soem people think its a crime to tape a tv show and not buy it.

http://starmen.net/mother2/gameinfo/antipiracy/

D'oh! Was trying to reply to Broco Lee with respect to his idea of deleting the saves 70% into the game - Earthbound takes it a step farther by upping the random encounter rate and crashdeleting the game after the first stage of the final boss ...

This is exactly what we need, Pirates should never get to enjoy Giygas, the most intriguing final boss battle I have ever seen.

It's absurd to think that the pirating of the cart would impact sales as much as Square says that it would. Most of the people that are pirating this game would likely not have bought the game in the first place. I am seriously tired of developers touting that piracy is so rampant of a problem. Games are selling more copies these days then ever before. Developers need to get a grip.

Get used to it. They will always do that. They try to beat the pirates. If they can't win, they pull at our heart strings. Too bad they didn't try to sway me by saying if the game sells enough copies, they'll make a Chrono Trigger 2 for DS. I'd buy it then.

What? Are you for real?? Thats like saying that the 80000+ users on bittorrent sites grabbing the game within the next week or two are not hurting developers. Imagine just 8,000 ppl alone pirating the game, that alone is $320,000.00 Square and retailers are losing together. Now imagine that by the end of the year being around 2-3 times that amount. Developers and businesses go into business to make a profit, not to see their works be handed around for free.

Danny, relax. I suppose you haven't given it much serious thought, but whether you can download a ROM or not does not necessarily affect people's buying habits, and in some cases, people view the ROMs as demos.

If you're still pretty worked up about this whole ordeal, I hear there might be a job for you at the RIAA or MPAA.

This isn't an original DS game.
It's a port. How do they lose money on a franchise like this?
it came out in 1995
Re-released on PS1 in 1999
Release 3 sounds tracks

Although I brought the piracy crack to DSFanboy.com's attention, I myself am opposed to piracy and buy the games that developers make.

I'm glad to see that Square Enix is taking a stand against piracy.

I'm importing the game when it comes out in America, although I'm dumping the rom myself.
I just like using flashcarts.

You know, maybe if they actually released this game in North America at the same time as in Japan, this wouldn't be as much of an issue.

I plan on buying Chrono Trigger for DS the day it comes out (Nov. 25th), but until then, I'm playing it right now and enjoying it, like everyone in Japan. I shouldn't have to wait several weeks for a game that's been localized for months, just so Square Enix can release everything early in Japan because tradition dictates they must.

I'm not sure if the reason is entirely that they have a tradition to delay things in the states. I think they simply prefer to make sure to keep up with demand and promote the game properly in all territories. It's simply easier and less costly to do that in each area, one at a time, rather than all at once. Microsoft learned that lesson with the very small release window of the 360. They couldn't keep the thing on shelves in the states when they were putting them up in Japan, where they couldn't get them off of shelves. They could have sold those boxes over here for a year instead.

people can use all the excuses they want, but we all know that anyone with a flash cart PIRATES. and don't even TRY to reply to my comment saying "duh no we don't. we use it for other things and blah blah blah" because i ain't listening. i don't care if you already bought the game when it was first released! i don't care if you say that you shouldn't have to pay for something you already payed for A LONG TIME AGO. i don't care if your broke. it's either BUY IT AND PLAY IT or DON'T PLAY IT AT ALL! because we all know that even if it was put up on the VC that people would still have to pay for it. once again DO NOT TRY TO CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE. anyone with a flash cart PIRATES (imo of course)! POINT.BLANK.

You're not too bright, are you? You sound like one of those militant right-wing jerkoffs at the church I went to when I was a kid that said any male who wore long hair or shorts was a 'faggot', no exceptions. Extremists who allow for only one scenario are invariably going to be wrong and look quite ridiculous.

You can be an ass all you want, but the pirates will still be pirating. Maybe you should all caps more of your posts.

@ kittensonthewing

your obviously the BIGGEST idiot on this site. did i not say "IMO" you fucktard!? when will you and your ilk learn that NOTHING you say to me AFFECTS ME or even bother's me! i could careless if you called me a jerkoff or any other little LAME insult that comes to mind. YOUR NOT CHANGING MY OPINION! try to do so so or even trying to hurt me with lame ass insult only proves your idiocy!

Awwwww! We're not changing your opinion! But we were so close!

Oh well, back to my games!

...aaaaand point proven.

@leonus-

Reported.

@ lasersanchez

what the--?! lol and would you care to explain how you were "so close"?

why, what ever do you mean? clearly they DID change your opinion. it's so obvious; didn't you know your mind was changed?

oh wait, here, let me add "imo". there. now I cannot be refuted.

Have a nice day!

Someone needs to read this: http://www.shortpacked.com/d/20070502.html

HOLY S*** mitsuda's is signing those copies I must have them!!

I mean Mitsuda without the S at the end, I was... too excited xD

@ Gewurz Man got equipped with... Guitar Hero!

ok mister smarty pants. copy the EXACT sentence stating that my opinion was changed. because the way i see it my opinion is still the same. i still think anyone who uses a flash cart pirates. so yeah, show me. just copy and paste it.

opinions do not require proof. buuuuut, since you asked, and, you really have to have an open mind and have some selective reading here:

"[...]WE ALL KNOW THAT ANYONE WITH A FLASH CART [...] TRY TO [...] USE IT FOR OTHER THINGS AND [...] DON�T CARE [...] TO [...] PIRATE[...] POINT.BLANK."

well, ok, maybe not.

@ Laronmi

yep. and you need to go and read your own post buddy! because obviously YOU think that your opinion is right and not wrong. next time think before you type.

...what is wrong with you?

OMG, he's going crazy. CRAZY, I say! (imo of course! lulz.)

Here. *produces preorder receipt for Chrono Trigger* I own a flashcart, too, but you won't find a skull 'n crossbones flag on the S.S. Haohmaru, I promise.

Oh, eff you, Squeenix. You're just like that kid who brought his Game Boy to class in 5th grade, right after it came out (seriously, he had it *before* Christmas!). And instead of letting other people play it when you're not playing it, you just let 'em look at it. "But Damon, you're not playing it right now... why can't I?" "BECAUSE!"
...

Okay, maybe I let that get away from me, BUT MY POINT REMAINS VALID!

You can't just hold one of the most beloved videogame properties hostage for over a decade, ordering cease-and-desists to fan-made initiatives and churning out crappy pseudo-sequels and ports and act all high and mighty when people wanna play your fuckin' game.

Go make a life-size mannequin out of cash and whine to that for a while. Maybe it'll come to life and give a shit!

Hear hear!

Square Enix isn't Nintendo.

I'll explain how I changed your opinion:

It was because I was joking. I care about your opinion like you care about mine. As in, not at all.

Encourage low prices. Buy Legend of Kage 2 kids. It's only 20 bones and it's still Square-Enix. Add CT to your GameFly or buy it used. Everyone wins then!

Buy Kage 2 because it's awesome. The price is just an added bonus.

Chrono Trigger is on my xmas list. So there's where I personally stand. Love it, want it.

That said, if you haven't read or looked at Matt Mason's book "The Pirate's Dilemma" you need to. It talks about the culture and how piracy in general actually promotes interest(hype) in a product which in turn causes increased sales.

..or if you want to look at it a different way here's a quote from Steve Jobs, "If you want to stop piracy, the way to stop it is by competing with it."

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Square Enix speaks out on Chrono Trigger piracy

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Posted: Nov 20th 2008 4:15PM magusg said

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