So, because a ton of people obtained the game through illicit channels, we can grab it legitimately for 75 percent cheaper than usual? We're happy for the bargain, but that's setting an awfully bizarre precedent, guys.
Machinarium marked down to $5 for 'Pirate Amnesty' sale
by Griffin McElroy 
on Aug 7th 2010 7:30AM
71
So, because a ton of people obtained the game through illicit channels, we can grab it legitimately for 75 percent cheaper than usual? We're happy for the bargain, but that's setting an awfully bizarre precedent, guys.
Reader Comments (71)
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 7:54AM Manifest37 said
For shame. You disappoint me internet.
I understand big companies, but never pick on the little guy.
Reply
I understand big companies, but never pick on the little guy.
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 8:44AM The Nth Doctor said
@Cleric Well, the game is definitely worth ten dollars, and the soundtrack is worth ten dollars, so purchasing it from the developer's website (which includes both) is ordinarily priced fairly.
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Posted: Aug 7th 2010 9:20AM shadowhowl1900 said
@Brockobama123
i shoulda done that with MW2...
Reply
i shoulda done that with MW2...
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 9:27AM The Nth Doctor said
@Cleric He's not upset because of your tastes concerning his hobby, but about your attitude, one that is all too present in consumers today and is very negatively effecting the industry surrounding a narrative medium all of us here enjoy.
Reply
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 10:30AM Lerkero said
@Brockobama123
Sure, the publisher may get a lot of the money, but I would hope the publisher also pays most of the salary and development costs to the employees of the developer. This might not be the case with large developers, but smaller indie developers have to get money from somewhere.
Reply
Sure, the publisher may get a lot of the money, but I would hope the publisher also pays most of the salary and development costs to the employees of the developer. This might not be the case with large developers, but smaller indie developers have to get money from somewhere.
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 8:05AM insomniacpig said
Don't forget to add that the soundtrack is included.
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Posted: Aug 7th 2010 8:57AM Skizem said
Wait, did Joystiq just actually state: We're normally pretty down on video game software piracy, especially when the games being plundered are totally DRM-free indie darlings.
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Just because a game is DRM free and indie doesn't mean it's okay to pirate....shame.
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Just because a game is DRM free and indie doesn't mean it's okay to pirate....shame.
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 9:02AM dirt junkie said
Shame on anyone who pirated this game full stop!
Personaly I've bought 3 copy's, yes 3! Got the digi download when it first came out, then 2 copys of the retail version (one of which is still sealed)
This game is one of the best indie games out there, show some god damn respect.
Reply
Personaly I've bought 3 copy's, yes 3! Got the digi download when it first came out, then 2 copys of the retail version (one of which is still sealed)
This game is one of the best indie games out there, show some god damn respect.
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 7:57PM dirt junkie said
@Brodo
it seems a lot I admit, I only intended to buy one retail copy after buying the digi download, I wanted it simply because of it being a collectors etd. When it came to purchase it was only £11 on release at shopto.net!
Why not buy two at that price? Plus I do collect certain video games and this makes a great addition to the collection IMO.
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it seems a lot I admit, I only intended to buy one retail copy after buying the digi download, I wanted it simply because of it being a collectors etd. When it came to purchase it was only £11 on release at shopto.net!
Why not buy two at that price? Plus I do collect certain video games and this makes a great addition to the collection IMO.
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 8:15PM dirt junkie said
@Brodo
The graphics are awesome I think, but it's the atmosphere that got me hooked! That music, one of the reason for the collectors etd as I didn't get the soundtrack with the digi download, does come with it now it seems?
Plus with the collectors etd you get a full pictorial walkthrough, drawn just like the game, can help with those tougher puzzles :)
Reply
The graphics are awesome I think, but it's the atmosphere that got me hooked! That music, one of the reason for the collectors etd as I didn't get the soundtrack with the digi download, does come with it now it seems?
Plus with the collectors etd you get a full pictorial walkthrough, drawn just like the game, can help with those tougher puzzles :)
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 9:33AM The Nth Doctor said
I honestly do not understand the whining about the original price point here.
For tripple the price, people are willing to accept incredibly generic, effortless games, churned out by major developers and publishers over and over again. Why complain about getting 1. an incredibly unique, immersive, stylish adventure game, 2. It's wonderful and soundtrack, and 3. the ability to, as many gamers, especially pirates, have expressed a desire to, directly support a unique developer, for a grand total of twenty dollars?
Reply
For tripple the price, people are willing to accept incredibly generic, effortless games, churned out by major developers and publishers over and over again. Why complain about getting 1. an incredibly unique, immersive, stylish adventure game, 2. It's wonderful and soundtrack, and 3. the ability to, as many gamers, especially pirates, have expressed a desire to, directly support a unique developer, for a grand total of twenty dollars?
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 10:36AM Lerkero said
@The Nth Doctor
One thing you forget to mention is that given the chance, many people would pirate those $60 games as well. PC piracy doesn't just affect small downloadable games. When large games are put on PC people spend lots of time seeding and leeching torrents (unless there is a new piracy method I am unaware of).
One of the reasons why so many of those $60 games are bought is because you have to mod your console in order to pirate games, but the PC is just a download and fake keycode. I don't think a lot of people are willing to put in the effort to modify the inside of their console.
Reply
One thing you forget to mention is that given the chance, many people would pirate those $60 games as well. PC piracy doesn't just affect small downloadable games. When large games are put on PC people spend lots of time seeding and leeching torrents (unless there is a new piracy method I am unaware of).
One of the reasons why so many of those $60 games are bought is because you have to mod your console in order to pirate games, but the PC is just a download and fake keycode. I don't think a lot of people are willing to put in the effort to modify the inside of their console.
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 10:49AM Dungeoncrawl said
@The Nth Doctor I don't understand the whining either. It's called "free market economy" guys. Somebody makes a product/service and sets a price.....you buy it or don't.....the seller adjusts the price accordingly. That's how capitalism works. The people who get it right are rewarded...the people who don't (i.e. they set the price inappropriately) are NOT rewarded. The point is you don't get to say "The price isn't fair so I'm stealing it". Product overpriced = don't buy.
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Posted: Aug 7th 2010 12:43PM Hunter141072 said
@Lerkero
well, welcome to the new age bro, piracy for the wii only requires a couple of software loaded to a memory card, plug a hd to the usb port and presto, 400 images for the wii.The xbox is the same i know a lot of guys who have the xbox up and ready to run copies and guess what?? NO CHIP ADDED, and they can play online without a problem no one has been banned. so that old, consoles are hard to hack is bullsh**t. Maybe that´s what billy wants you to believe but the true is completely different, piracy on the consoles is not as different as it is on the consoles.
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well, welcome to the new age bro, piracy for the wii only requires a couple of software loaded to a memory card, plug a hd to the usb port and presto, 400 images for the wii.The xbox is the same i know a lot of guys who have the xbox up and ready to run copies and guess what?? NO CHIP ADDED, and they can play online without a problem no one has been banned. so that old, consoles are hard to hack is bullsh**t. Maybe that´s what billy wants you to believe but the true is completely different, piracy on the consoles is not as different as it is on the consoles.
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 1:41PM The Nth Doctor said
@Cleric How about the immersive atmosphere? Art design? Music? Plot isn't everything, especially in this medium.
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Posted: Aug 7th 2010 1:43PM The Nth Doctor said
@Lerkero I wasn't really referring to the pirates with my comment on price, more the average joystiq commenter who is willing to shell out 60 bucks for say the newest bungie release but not 20 for something like this.
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Posted: Aug 7th 2010 6:41PM The Pumpkinmancer said
@Dungeoncrawl
The point is you can steal something you don't want to buy it, people do, and they always will. Theft is part of an economy, always has been. Back in the day Magic the Gathering, which was terribly overpriced, was so ubiquitous with shop lifting that major stores would not carry it. Before the internet we had mixed taps, and recording entire tapes, or taping a movie off of TV and then copying that tape for friends. Piracy is not new, it's just more open now.
Now exists a chance for developers and publishers to communicate with pirates, as well as consumers, and try something to satisfy more people and create more revenue. This company is trying to do just that. They are trying to communicate with the pirates that have stolen game, and those that want to. Instead of threats and stepping on the toes of their buyers like Ubisoft has with their always online DRM and anti-PC mind set, these folks are offering an honest alternative. They get loads of respect from me.
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The point is you can steal something you don't want to buy it, people do, and they always will. Theft is part of an economy, always has been. Back in the day Magic the Gathering, which was terribly overpriced, was so ubiquitous with shop lifting that major stores would not carry it. Before the internet we had mixed taps, and recording entire tapes, or taping a movie off of TV and then copying that tape for friends. Piracy is not new, it's just more open now.
Now exists a chance for developers and publishers to communicate with pirates, as well as consumers, and try something to satisfy more people and create more revenue. This company is trying to do just that. They are trying to communicate with the pirates that have stolen game, and those that want to. Instead of threats and stepping on the toes of their buyers like Ubisoft has with their always online DRM and anti-PC mind set, these folks are offering an honest alternative. They get loads of respect from me.
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 10:02AM Poppa Qapp said
Seems perplexing at first blush, I agree. However, I imagine the idea was that they had already lost the money for the games pirated; perhaps they thought some who had already pirated it and felt a bit guilty might pay $5 out of a desire for spiritual redemption...?
Yeah, you're right. It's bizarre.
Reply
Yeah, you're right. It's bizarre.
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 10:52AM clarinetJWD said
@Poppa Qapp It's not really that bizarre or unprecedented. World of Goo was in the same situation of massive piracy, and had a "name your own price" sale to try and combat the losses a while back, and it was quite successful. These developers are trying to light the same fire, but eliminate all the $.01 crowd. I don't necessarily think it's going to work, but it's certainly not a new and bizarre concept.
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Posted: Aug 7th 2010 12:51PM A Moose said
@Poppa Qapp
The developer's reasoning, according to an article elsewhere, is that they have lost some sales, yes, but it led to people discovering them as a studio.
"Amanita claims that a number of people contacted the studio, telling the developers that they had pirated the game and offering to pay the full price. In that spirit, the studio has announced a "pirate amnesty" sale."
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The developer's reasoning, according to an article elsewhere, is that they have lost some sales, yes, but it led to people discovering them as a studio.
"Amanita claims that a number of people contacted the studio, telling the developers that they had pirated the game and offering to pay the full price. In that spirit, the studio has announced a "pirate amnesty" sale."
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 4:28PM MrKlorox said
@harusame Because Steam keeps a back catalog of all the games you own. I'll uninstall Machinarium when finished and forget that I own it when looking for games to play at a later date if it's on some obscure website. I already kick myself for buying things off D2D or Impulse or GOG.
Do you really think that those who pirated would care that Valve takes part of a percentage from what the devs would make?
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Do you really think that those who pirated would care that Valve takes part of a percentage from what the devs would make?
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 10:19AM Pure Black World Tendency said
Isn't this coming to PS3 soon? I shall buy it then.
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Posted: Aug 7th 2010 11:00AM EvoHelix said
In the great scope of human history the majority of media has been passed down from one person to the next by means of oral tradition. Stories and song were learned and recited for free, occasionally you would have somebody particularly good at performing a piece and was good enough to charge people money to watch him perform. Only in recent history has the infrastructure been created so that we can charge for each individual performance of a piece of media. But now that infrastructure is beginning to fall as we further integrate ourselves with the digital world and sharing between each other is easier than ever. Sharing stories is basic human nature.
Now I'm not condoning "stealing" in the traditional sense of the word but I think companies that produce these big expensive pieces of media need to come to realize that people will only pay what they feel you deserve for it. For example, tossing a few dollars into the hat of a musician on the corner. If that musician had a sign next to that hat with "$5 only" on it he would make far less money for the day. Some people would pay, some might not want or be able to pay that much, and others will just listen anyway.
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Now I'm not condoning "stealing" in the traditional sense of the word but I think companies that produce these big expensive pieces of media need to come to realize that people will only pay what they feel you deserve for it. For example, tossing a few dollars into the hat of a musician on the corner. If that musician had a sign next to that hat with "$5 only" on it he would make far less money for the day. Some people would pay, some might not want or be able to pay that much, and others will just listen anyway.
Posted: Aug 7th 2010 11:45AM Osnaz said
@EvoHelix
Last I checked, it didn't take 1000's/millions of man-hours for old story-tellers to develop a song or story. This is called capitalism. Someone worked extremely hard to make something, even if the product is total garbage. They have all the right in the world to set their price, not you. If you don't want to pay, don't buy it.
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Last I checked, it didn't take 1000's/millions of man-hours for old story-tellers to develop a song or story. This is called capitalism. Someone worked extremely hard to make something, even if the product is total garbage. They have all the right in the world to set their price, not you. If you don't want to pay, don't buy it.
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