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EA’s John Riccitiello has told Kotaku that he sees game pirates as a way to sell more games to people, reasoning that pirates can “steal the disc, but they can’t steal the DLC”.
“The consumer seems to really like this idea that there is extra stuff,” said Riccitiello. “The consumer wants more, and when you give them more or sell them more it seems to be extremely well received. There’s a sizable pirate market and a sizable second sale market and we want to try to generate revenue in that marketplace.
“I don’t think anybody should pirate anything. I believe in the artistry of the people who build [the games industry.] I profoundly believe that, and when you steal from us, you steal from them. Having said that, there’s a lot of people who do.”
Instead of “demonizing” consumers for pirating like the music industry does, he feels EA has an “obligation” to create games and communities that make it “increasingly less likely that people will pirate because there is so much value on the other side of the door.”
Riccitiello hopes some pirates will eventually purchase the game that was pirated or at the very least the DLC associated with it.
More through the link.
Viewing 13 responses
Michael O’Connor said:
They can’t steal the DLC?
http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5113855/The_Sims_3_Store_Update_Pack_2009-10-01_7z
You sure about that one?
Bulk Slash said:
Shhh, don’t remind them. They’ll start bundling ever more obnoxious DRM with their games again.
MushroomStamp said:
yeah I see releases for DLC all the time. Granted they area pain to xfer and install.. but once you get it down, easy peasy. If man makes it, man can break it.
Gheritt White said:
I like this guy.
MushroomStamp, on the other hand – I really hope that you get a job a in a creative industry… and then get made redundant after you lose X% sales to piracy.
onlineatron said:
Riccitiello is quickly becoming my favourite evil corporation head.
I love his push (or previous push) towards new IPs at EA… and he gets that the only way to stop pirates is to offer value with games to make them see it worth spending money.
That said, I hope he also realises that gamers want value on top of everything else… not stuff taken away and added later .
Gekidami said:
Riccitiello sure is using alot of spin to say: “We want to nickel and dime you for everything, not just DLC but even the very base content in games.”
Look at everything he’s said over the past 2 weeks, all of it is trying to justify micro transactions and pretty much paying for what we currently get for free.
Its funny that Riccitiello was sort of viewed as the man who pulled EA out of the gutter. And now it looks like he’s trying his best to put it back in there.
MushroomStamp said:
Silly boy.. you don’t lose sales to piracy.. at least VERY little.. because people that pirate them, wouldn’t have bought them anyway.
Gekidami said:
You know, most of the people i know that pirate games indeed wouldnt have ever played them if they didnt download them because they tend to be games they arent all that interested in. They play them once, sometimes not even till the end then thats that.
If it was impossible for them to pirate they would live without the game no problem.
That said, there are some cheapskate bastards who refuse to buy anything and will pirate even games they’re anticipating.
Its hard to judge how much damage piracy can really do, i mean you can pirate games on 360 yet its hardly harming sales.
Gheritt White said:
I lost a job to piracy in 2005. We sold under 20,000 units of a particular title and saw over 100,000 active user accounts online. Small numbers, I know – and with such razor thin profit margins every game sold really does count.
But hey, you know what they say – you’ve never worked in the videogames industry until you’ve been made redundant at least a couple of times.
So I’m not bitter, MushroomStamp. I just think you’re a cunt.
MushroomStamp said:
Fair enough, and I think your a jaded dick that distorts facts to fit your failures…. lets call it even.
BC said:
“steal the disc, but they can’t steal the DLC”
Who is this guy, and why is he so out of touch with reality? If DLC was impossible to pirate, then all games would just be an empty “husk” of software, and the game entire game itself would be DLC.
“Instead of “demonizing” consumers for pirating like the music industry does, he feels EA has an “obligation” to create games and communities that make it “increasingly less likely that people will pirate because there is so much value on the other side of the door.””
Those two options aren’t mutually exclusive. Let’s not pretend that they are.
SunKing said:
Riccitiello is taking on exactly the attitude I want other companies to have. Piracy is a pain, but, given that it can’t really be stopped, look at it as an opportunity instead.
JesteR said:
Since when cant DLC be crack? Dragon Age DLC is cracked….. This guy has obviously no clue. But at least he has an more open mind.