So if you're like me (And many, many others) you're looking forward to the new action-thriller game by Remedy Entertainment. Alan Wake. and have been for quite some time now (Been keeping an eye on this for the past year my self). But too like me don't currently have a 360, and do most of your gaming on the PC, then congratulations, there's now a solid chance you may not be able to play it (YAY!...... Fuck!).
(That right there sums up my interpretation of this announcement)
Remedy Entertainment recently released a statement saying that they are "focusing all our efforts on the 360 version" "Other than that the plans are up in the air and open. Once we get this version done we'll see."
Now don't get me wrong. I understand that games take large sums of both time and effort to make (Alan Wake alone has been in production for 5 years already). But that said, to me this has a much to well known undertone of "PC gamers are nothing but pirates".
This game is getting HUGE buzz right now (Rightfully so in my opinion), and they know full well if they release it for both platforms off the bat, many people with PC's only will download it, as well as some people with PC's and 360's may instead of buying either copy, instead choose to download it on the PC.
From a business stand point I can see why companies are reluctant to release PC ports. But what they fail to realize. Is not only is it possible to pirate games for EVERY SYSTEM OUT THERE! But that a lot of people who do download games, do so to test them out, and once they're convinced they're worth their hard earned money, go out and buy it. I did this my self with both Left 4 Dead, and Team Fortress 2 (Team Fortress 2 I played on a free weekend trial thing steam had on).
Valve are the only company thus far that I have seen, take off their industry provided dunce cap, and think outside the companion cube. Valve's Director of Business Development / Legal Affairs Jason Holtman has stated that they see pirates as "tons of undiscovered customers.". aka, pirates are people who want good games, and pirate them to see if they're worth the money or not, and if they are, they purchase them.
Now obviously not everyone who pirates a game is going to buy it. But that's the same for anything. Someone hands me a free tasty thing on a toothpick at the food store, I'm not going to turn it down, (free things are good, and tasty free things are even better) but I'm not going to go on a pilgrimage to find and purchase this tasty thing on a toothpick either.
Even so, instead of seeing pirates as evil doers that must be vanquished, like some kingdom encroaching dragon. They see them as potential profit. As if to put saddles on all those dragons, and start their own dragon taxi service.
Now most companies will shrug this way of thinking off. Saying that pirates are thiefs and nothing more, taking money from hard working people. Which in and of it self isn't quite right, as people are actually stealing anything, simply copying it. And so long as no one tries to sell the copy they have for profit, I really don't see any problem.
You can't say they're taking sales away from the company, as most of the people who download games, never intended to buy them in the first place. In fact the reverse is true I find. More people download games, then buy them. Then download in place of buying.
If the game companies really need any proof of this concept. Read up a bit. Notice I said I downloaded both Left 4 Dead, and Team Fortress 2, before being convinced to buy them. That's proof of concept right there.
Valve too has taken to making actual good games. Not spending all their development money on frivolous law suits against "pirates/thiefs", then wondering why no one buys their crappy games *Cough*EA*Cough*.
It's funny how people will actually buy games that don't suck a donkeys ass dry.
(I don't know how this went from Alan Wake news, to a rant about PC game piracy, but, here we are)
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