Xboxist

Editorial: How Pirating Kills Your Games

Pirates have gotten a hold of Street Fighter IV and are already spreading it through the wild, wild internets. The game was supposed to be due out next week on February 17th, but its publisher was unable to curtail the growing trend of leaked games, well before their actual release dates.

Will the release of collector's editions, like the previously announced Street Fighter IV and Resident Evil 5 ones, be enough incentive to get consumers to shell out the big bucks? Do you find paying premium prices worthwhile for what are essentially packed-in promotional trinkets and plastic toy figures that always end up lost between your couch cushions? Hardcore fans may think so but make up a small percentage of the market.

The claim that pirates like to make is that they are supplying consumers with a try-before-buy service, but the low rate of translated sales reveal an obvious side of human nature: Why pay for free stuff? Downloading pirated games is easy and painless because it's the developers they are hurting. Pirates don't realize that this is a business and that by taking away game sales they are basically killing the chances of ever seeing another game that tries to elevate its genre like Mirror's Edge, Okami, or Zack and Wiki.

With low returns, publishers are less likely to risk investing in new game intellectual properties (IPs). EA's launch of Mirror's Edge and Dead Space were critical hits but failed to ignite sales, perhaps due to the sheer volume of pirated copies that could have translated to retail sales. A stronger showing would have vindicated the publisher's belief that consumers crave games that offer them fresh ideas coupled with innovative game play.

Gamers are voting with their wallets, whether it be with a purchase or a non-purchase. Votes in the non-purchase column tell EA to stick with churning out tired sequels to their tried and true money-making franchises, that trying something new is a risk not worth taking in today's economy, and innovation is best left to starving artists. Votes in the purchase column tell Activision Blizzard we want more plastic guitars for our 17th Guitar Hero game.

What is the future you desire: new game IPs or more sequels? Go rock the vote!

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