The Witcher 2 pirated 4.5 million times on General Discussions Message Board - Page 1

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debo22t posted on Dec 01, 2011 9:21:01 AM - Report post

Interesting read from the witcher 2 devs(pasted from gamespot)

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings proved popular with PC gamers and reviewers alike, and it was apparently no slouch with pirates, either.

Maybe Geralt can go after a cutthroat gang of pirates in The Witcher 3.

Speaking to PC Gamer, CD Projekt CEO and cofounder Marcin Iwinski broke down the anecdotal numbers based on concurrent torrent downloads and came to the estimation that The Witcher 2 has been pirated more than 4.5 million times. Iwinski said the real numbers are likely much worse.

CD Projekt has been a vocal advocate of releasing games without digital rights management, saying it is easy to circumvent and ends up punishing legitimate customers. Good 'Ol Games, the publisher's DRM-free digital storefront, appears to be doing well, but Iwinski doesn't see the industry moving away from copy-protection schemes.

"As funny as this might sound, DRM is the best explanation [for big publishers], the best 'I will cover my a**' thing," Iwinski said. "I strongly believe that this is the main reason the industry has not abandoned it until today, and to be frank, this annoys me a hell of a lot. You are asking, 'So why is it taking so long for them to listen?' The answer is very simple: They do not listen, as most of them do not care. As long as the numbers in Excel will add up, they will not change anything."

However, Iwinski is encouraged by the rise of social media, as he feels it provides consumers a real way to have their voices heard. "This is the only way to get the Excel guys moving," he said.

The Witcher 2 is set to hit the Xbox 360 in the first quarter of next year. CD Projekt Red also has "two different AAA+ projects" in the works for 2013 and 2014.

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Skyheart posted on Dec 01, 2011 11:48:01 AM - Report post

I like in the full interview his idea of a not-so-fast average internet connection downloading something like 14GB in 6 hours.

I wish my average connection was that quick at not-so-fast times.

"Remember the good old days when you could just slap Omni-Gel on everything?" - Shepard, ME2

"Not right now. Trying to determine how Scale Itch got aboard. Sexually transmitted disease carried only by Varren..... Implications unpleasant." - Mordin, ME2

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RageaholicRick posted on Dec 01, 2011 12:03:40 PM - Report post

Man, if I was a game developer, I would be ****ed that people are pirating my game, but also glad that they like it that much.

Work Hard. Be Positive

SAGE

Ruiptaurus posted on Dec 01, 2011 12:49:07 PM - Report post

i bought the witcher 1 and 2!!!!

And i´m proud for that.

CD Project deserves people who supports them!!!

PHAT CAT

DABhand posted on Dec 01, 2011 2:03:47 PM - Report post

4.5m warez users playing witcher 2 = a potential $160-200 Million lost.

And warez kiddies think they don't affect anything >.<

Oh and Don't forget some tuts on ASM and defeating DMA

Clicky Here for them

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Monkey007 posted on Dec 01, 2011 2:17:57 PM - Report post

quote:

originally posted by DABhand

4.5m warez users playing witcher 2 = a potential $160-200 Million lost.

And warez kiddies think they don't affect anything >.<

They do. But it's not the no. 1 reason as to why a game won't sell. Like most people constantly say.

Still, I bought it. And I'm happy with it.

--

SHINIGAMI

LordVenator posted on Dec 06, 2011 10:03:10 AM - Report post

quote:

originally posted by DABhand

4.5m warez users playing witcher 2 = a potential $160-200 Million lost.

And warez kiddies think they don't affect anything >.<

However, no one ever lists how many people who have pirated Witcher 2 actually bought it after pirating it.

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Anton Slavik posted on Dec 06, 2011 10:14:17 AM - Report post

i bought witcher one and two. i have my withcer one here somewhere.. real tongue twister with the extras included extended edition or whatever they called it.

Since there are people who give me crap for my grammar and is to lazy to check my profile I will say it here as well. I am dyslexic so give me a break as I *TRY* to spell correctly.