Paradox Wonders Why DRM is Still Alive
CEO confused why companies are still using it.
PC-focused publisher Paradox Interactive has taken a pretty public stand against Digital Rights Management, calling it a "waste of money" and a technology solution that's stuck in the past.
CEO Fred Wester has been critical of DRM in the past, but when Gamespy brought it up in a recent interview the executive seemed to be at pains to understand why the industry had yet to move on.
"I’m so surprised that people still use DRM. We haven’t done that for seven or eight years, and the reason is that it doesn’t make sense," Wester said, noting that from a gamer's perspective it's a flawed security measure, adding extra hurdles to enjoy legitimate content and even breaking the ability to load the game in the first place.
"If you take something like Sony’s DRM, SecuROM -- it’s a waste of money. It will keep you protected for three days, it will create a lot of technical support, and it will not increase sales. And I know this for a fact, because we tried it eight years ago, and it never worked for us," Wester added.
When asked why he thinks companies - such as Ubisoft - still insist on tackling PC piracy with DRM measures, Wester suggested that it was a "way to cover your back" as a CEO and reassure investors that measures were being taken to tackle the issue.
"Now, I see no reasonable explanation for why people keep on adding it. Especially the kind where you have to be online all the time, like Ubisoft. I think that’s, to me that’s 2003."
CEO Fred Wester has been critical of DRM in the past, but when Gamespy brought it up in a recent interview the executive seemed to be at pains to understand why the industry had yet to move on.
"I’m so surprised that people still use DRM. We haven’t done that for seven or eight years, and the reason is that it doesn’t make sense," Wester said, noting that from a gamer's perspective it's a flawed security measure, adding extra hurdles to enjoy legitimate content and even breaking the ability to load the game in the first place.
"If you take something like Sony’s DRM, SecuROM -- it’s a waste of money. It will keep you protected for three days, it will create a lot of technical support, and it will not increase sales. And I know this for a fact, because we tried it eight years ago, and it never worked for us," Wester added.
When asked why he thinks companies - such as Ubisoft - still insist on tackling PC piracy with DRM measures, Wester suggested that it was a "way to cover your back" as a CEO and reassure investors that measures were being taken to tackle the issue.
"Now, I see no reasonable explanation for why people keep on adding it. Especially the kind where you have to be online all the time, like Ubisoft. I think that’s, to me that’s 2003."
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Comments
JoesoMelono 25 Jan 2012 14:05
1/1
For a sec i thourght it might be the paradox that cracks software and sutch, that would have made sence as well.