"PC gaming is really falling apart," he revealed. | Forums

[Kevlar_Soul]

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/46079



Across two separate lectures at this week's Game Developers Conference, id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead and Epic Games president Michael Capps both admitted that piracy of PC games caused their companies to pursue developing beyond the PC platform. "Piracy has pushed id as being multiplatform," stated Hollenshead, whose company contracted Z-Axis to handle the PlayStation 3 version and Nerve Software the Xbox 360 edition of Splash Damage's forthcoming Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC).

Comments made by Epic's Capps carried a similar tone. "PC gaming is really falling apart," he revealed. "It killed us to make Unreal Tournament 3 cross-platform, but Epic had to do it," adding "the market that would buy a $600 video card knows how Bittorrent works." Epic is currently developing Unreal Tournament 3 for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in-house.

Meanwhile, Firaxis designer and programmer Soren Johnson remained confident in PC development. He suggested that "game design on the PC is going to bend toward persistence," noting Blizzard's World of Warcraft is "successful because you can't pirate WoW. You cannot pirate an MMO. Period."

[lceCold]

Well let me see. All of us here that are complaining about Vegas do have to have bought the game to be able to register and play online. So if we had to do that. It means other companies just have to do the same with their own games. I know some peeps download games. Mostly because they can't afford them. But as for this UBI title in particular. Why waste 50$ when u know the game doesn't work well. Or since there's not a demo that's the only way to try it on before buying it. And yes i bought my game. 3 weeks b4 i was even being able to play it waiting for my new computer to just be able to play it considering the specs it was asking. And what a mistake i made.

[sls1aw]

Originally posted by Kevlar_Soul:
both admitted that piracy of PC games caused their companies to pursue developing beyond the PC platform. "Piracy has pushed id as being multiplatform,"

It's all BS, Don't think for one minute consoles are piracy free, In fact, I'm willing to bet Consoles are even worse than PC games for warez. Since a LOT of console gamers don't play online, they can download whatever they want without any type of CDkey to play.

And lets not forget, with PC games, you can contain the Warez from playing online. And with games like BF2-2142, Online play is where it's at.

don't believe the hype

[Cormac.]

Exactly, Online play + Console Piracy

Infact in Australia it is Legal to mod your console with a chip that will play discs not from our region or back-up copies of your discs.

The developers that are still focusing on SP games are behind the times. MP is where it is at!

[daartist43]

Epics has been a trader unrealtournament has been on the console for a while and like one of the fellow posters mentioned console game is more pirated than the PC I should know I have a modded xbox and quess what its collecting dust right now.
As a gamer console games are becoming worthless all you get is graphics, no meat, no substance I have became tired of the whole process of purchasing a console game it cost to much and offers very little.
Reason these companies are claiming what they are claiming is plain and simple greed they see that u can charge money over xboxlive for say maybe two maps and a weapon its all about the money folks.

[Static_Reaper]

At least Valve is still on our side.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=23438

[Kevlar_Soul]

this is PC industry competition:

http://promomagazine.com/retail/news...g_xbox_101806/

Kellogg Puts Xbox Games In 80 Million Boxes

Kellogg Co. will put Xbox 360 games in 80 million cereal and snack boxes in its highest-value promotion ever.

Kellogg's is investing big $$
in this year's holiday
premiums program

Kellogg will put mini handheld Xbox games in boxes of Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops and Cocoa Rice Krispies. The series of five games begin appearing on-shelf this month, with plans to run through yearend.

Some cereal brands also carry an on-pack offer for free game rentals through Gamefly.com with a 30-day trial of the service in exchange for two UPCs. (The subscription-based game-rental service costs $15 a month or more.)

Meanwhile, Pop-Tarts, Eggo waffles, and Kellogg fruit snacks carry offers for Xbox knit hats, T-shirts, back sacks and instant-win goodies. Ads and P-O-P support the tie-in.

DraftFCB, Chicago, handles.



The fourth-quarter push is intended to complement heavy holiday sales of video game systems; this November, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and its online venue, Xbox Live, will face new competition when Nintendo debuts its Wii gaming platform (successor to the GameCube) and Sony debuts the new PlayStation 3.

[FI_FlimFlam]

I'm just curious, where are the numbers supporting the greater piracy of console games than PC games.

AFAIK, pirating consoles games is done in one of few fashions: chancy disk swaps, mod chips, or modified hardware to make #1 easier, and software combined with the above to facilitate pirating.

Now from what I understand, these aren't especially hard to do, but they aren't nearly as easy as downloading a game from bit-torrent or other p2p program and burning an ISO or even running an executable, or using a disk image. It MUCH MUCH easier to pirate PC games and it doesn't cost a dime and you don't have to modify your PC to do it (provided your hardware can run the game). Generally console owners don't want to mess with their consoles or risk opening them up to install mod chips. Most aren't going to crack open a 400.00 Xbox360 and risk installing a mod chip. Sure there are a good number that will but not in the droves that you are implying.

At this point the only thing on the PC that might be keeping piracy down to some extent is the steep hardware requirements some newer game need. That might prevent some because some people simply cannot afford or do not have a powerful enough PC to run it. If they can afford the hardware to run it, I think the excuse of "not affording" the game is pretty darn weak for a reason to steal.

[SOD_sniper]

Originally posted by FI_FlimFlam:If they can afford the hardware to run it, I think the excuse of "not affording" the game is pretty darn weak for a reason to steal.

I agree with this..

My personal feeling is that there are games out there worth playing but not worth paying for.

Another school of thought is that if a company has a reputation of putting out games and then dropping support after a few months, I could see why others would pirate those games. After all, who wants to put money into a game they know is going to be dropped in a few months.

In my not so humble opinion, the game companys need to generate loyalty amongst the PC Community. While that will not eliminate ALL pirating, it will make the majority want to purchase the game to support the company.

I have purchased many games that could have easily been downloaded. BATTLESTATIONS MIDWAY, DEFCON and RED ORCHESTRA to name a few.

If a company is loyal to it's fans and customers, the fans and customers will by and large be loyal to the company. If a company treats it's fans and customers like dirt, the fans and customers will respond in kind.

It's such a simple concept.. Why can't UBI see it??


SODsniper

[sls1aw]

Check out the warez sites FI_FlimFlam please don't suggest illegal downloads sites - Geist the console. The WII was being pirated 2 weeks after launch of the console.

Not only do they have that option to download free console games online with a "Torrent", They can also rent them from the video store, They can rent them online with services like http://www.gamefly.com/

To think

Generally console owners don't want to mess with their consoles

is just a guess on your part, and pretty far from the truth