The Fallout from Fallout 3’s Piracy
by Justin Arnold on October 14, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Vault 101 just got plundered.
The eagerly anticipated Fallout 3 is nearly upon us, yet a full three weeks before its release rapacious pig-fuckers cracked the game and offered it via various torrent sites.
This is the third AAA title that has been hacked and cracked in as many months, leaving publishers frothing at the mouth as they consider even more draconian digital rights management.
To the casual observer this may seem like an overzealous response to retain the vast sea of greenbacks the industry seems to float upon. And that certainly is a concern, after all Electronic Arts is not motivated from a position of altruism. This is about control of their product, control of their intellectual property, and control of the consumer.
Flinchingly I have read DRM proponents scathing insinuation that, and I’m paraphrasing, that “nothing is safe! Nothing is sacred! We must protect ourselves at any cost!” Yet the price of that protectionism is at the expense of the consumer. Pirates care little for the mores of the videogame industry and will, and are, molesting their games as we speak. However it’s not the pirates that are feeling the brunt of the industry’s wrath, it’s us.
Citing piracy concerns, EA slapped DRM restrictions on Spore that prohibited more than one installation per copy, turning it into a $60 rental. Yet that did not keep Spore from being cracked and on the day before its release.
Activision recently pounced and monetarily mauled some assclown for distributing their wares on torrent, and rightfully so. Yet has their Torquemada approach to prosecuting infidels resulted in scaring away such a nebulous enemy? Perhaps, but not enough. Swinging a big stick in a fight is only good if you can find someone to hit with it and so far, it’s been hit and miss.
Fallout 3’s rape and pillage is unfortunate. I’ve interviewed Pete Hines and have gotten the distinct impression that this was a fellow who, along with a talented and motivated crew, created something worth spending my hard-earned money on. And I don’t mind spending that $60 because A) I feel I am buying a superior product and B) spending that kind of jack will only encourage another Fallout title, but hopefully encourage the same stringent adherence to quality and making a game worthy of its namesake.
The piracy of Fallout 3 is an unfortunate byproduct of the age we live in, a casualty of commerce. Yet it’s not the rallying cry that DRM proponents are looking for. If anything it’s a rude awakening that DRM isn’t working as intended.
Restrictive DRM that affects the end user will only drive off wary consumers and if nothing else, encourage reporters such as myself to call companies who employ it on their collective shit.
Games shouldn’t punish gamers. Selah.
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- Fallout Coming to GameTap This Thursday
- Fallout: New Vegas announced
- GDC09: Fallout 4 May Take Place in Japan
- Holy Bandwidth Breaker, Batman! 130+ Leaked Fallout 3 Images
- Fallout 3 Launch Party Will Detonate October 18th In Los Angeles
- Fallout 3 mod proves that the apocalypse wasn’t as bad as we thought
- Peter Hines Talks Xbox and Fallout 4
- Fallout 3 Falls Victim to Piracy
4 Comments » |
on October 14, 2008 6:03 pm
There is a huge problem with your article here. It was leaked for the 360, not the PC. Thus making the speech about DRM useless. Some of my best friends pirate games, and if the game is somewhat decent they always buy it. The hassle of playing a pirated game for a long period of time (for the pc) is unstable sometimes. And the version that was leaked for the 360 appears to be not even the review version. It appears to be a version that is 2 months old, so sucks to be the one’s who pirated it. From the leaked videos online it looks slow, and long loading times.
on October 14, 2008 6:29 pm
Yes, and I am well aware of the Xbox 360 hack/crack. Thanks.
The article isn’t about the port version of the hack, but the reaction DRM proponents are having, using this as an excuse – console or not.
I saw some of the screens as well and it didn’t have the same polish I got to play at PAX. Which only leads me to believe that even if I could get my hands on a pirated copy I don’t know if I would play it. I’d spend the money to play a polished game – but that’s because I have the money to spend.
DRM is a problem for all gamers, not just PC players.
on October 14, 2008 11:14 pm
Fallout 3 is a AAA title? LOL!
on October 15, 2008 9:37 pm
Fallout NOT an AAA title? LOLOLOL0RZ!1!!!one!111eleven!!1!