There were barely any big games released in January... Final Fantasy XIII-2 might have been the biggest game and it wasn't even that big. Also, it wasn't released until Jan. 24. No wonder games sales crashed... because there wasn't anything worth buying on shelves!
On the PC side I'm thinking most of this drop is based on the fact that Steam had a simply massive sale with up to 75 percent off all sorts of A list titles... I have enough games right now to last me to June. Still... that doesn't explain Console gaming
In a couple of years, finding a brick and mortar game store will be harder than finding a music (CD, record, 8 track tape) store. Those little plastic discs will be extinct very soon. These guys need to fix their business model if they want to survive.
It will be worse than what the music industry went through, this is a much more specific market. There are still 70 year olds buying plastic CDs at Walmart. Once the game system makers decide to throw in the towel, it will be all over. I give them 5 years, at most.
I don't need statistics, it's basic logic. If the DRM has been cracked, then how could it be an inconvenience to pirates? If every pirate had to crack the DRM for himself, then yeah, it might be a hassle, and it might slow piracy, but that's not how piracy works. Once someone has a crack for the game, all anyone has to do is just download the cracked version.
As an example, let me point out Spore, which had notorious DRM, at least for legal users. Seems like a random choice, but this is a game I both pirated and paid for legally. The DRM was a pain in the butt for anyone who legally purchased Spore, but it was cracked almost instantly and not a single person who downloaded the pirated version ever had to deal with the DRM at all.
Cost, a change in my tastes for content, and not having time to dedicate to playing has done me in for games for quite a while. I just got bored and disgusted with games where the main focus is killing. Fallout 3 and New Vegas, while they do have a considerable amount of killing, didn't force me to slaughter everything like in so many shooters. JRPGs? Not enough time to commit to anymore. Sports? Nope - except Kinect Sports which I was really surprised how much I enjoy compared to "real" sports games. Racing games? Not interested.
The last game I got and played completely through was the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer game for Xbox. (My wife and I recently re-watched the series.) $8 on Amazon, kept me busy for several nights in a row after work. Made me appreciate games that have good controls and balanced enemies but it was still enjoyable despite some glaring problems and stupidly difficult parts that had to do with a crap checkpoint system.
I am actually thinking about keeping this up for a while by picking up dirt cheap old games that I was on the fence on years back and giving them a shot. Being out $2 - $10 isn't a big deal for a couple hours of entertainment even if it is laughing at how bad something is now.
How can DRM stop even 1% of pirates. All it takes is one person to figure a way around the DRM for ALL pirates to be able to bypass it. It's not like every person who pirates the game has to start over from scratch, they just download the version that's been cracked already.
That's my real issue with DRM - it's all or nothing, and so far, no DRM has been created yet that couldn't be bypassed. So basically, no pirate anywhere has ever been inconvenienced by DRM, only paying customers.
"1. It stops friends from just passing the game around"
Nope.avi
The files can be passed around with ease, and cracks make the files more than 1s and 0s that fill hard drive space.
"2. If somebody doesn't have a high-speed connection or doesn't use bittorrent, then he can't pirate a game."
Or they could learn about bitTorrent, take the time regardless of the slow speed, or get a copy from friends/alternative means.
"Wrong. Just spending hours downloading a game, working on patches, trying to get things going, only to hit a bug that is deliberately added by the game being pirated is a huge inconvenience."
Phony scenarios don't disprove his point, look at the facts, the DRM schemes causing inconvenience, and being bypassed by the knowledgeable very quickly.
zulmericronxFeb 12, 2012Buried
There were barely any big games released in January... Final Fantasy XIII-2 might have been the biggest game and it wasn't even that big. Also, it wasn't released until Jan. 24. No wonder games sales crashed... because there wasn't anything worth buying on shelves!
lordharvestFeb 12, 2012Buried
guess living in a recession where people are spending less on luxury items isn't a part of the problem..
grabateFeb 12, 2012Buried
Piracy blamed in 3, 2, 1.....
satori3000Feb 12, 2012Buried
On the PC side I'm thinking most of this drop is based on the fact that Steam had a simply massive sale with up to 75 percent off all sorts of A list titles... I have enough games right now to last me to June. Still... that doesn't explain Console gaming
craig1958Feb 12, 2012Buried
In a couple of years, finding a brick and mortar game store will be harder than finding a music (CD, record, 8 track tape) store. Those little plastic discs will be extinct very soon. These guys need to fix their business model if they want to survive.
particleman420Feb 12, 2012Buried
could it be that there were no major releases in january?
nah. piracy.
and aliens
particleman420Feb 12, 2012Buried
where does that 80-90% number come from?
razorsfuryFeb 12, 2012Buried
Maybe has something to do with not very many sweet games that were released last month.... just saying...
norman619Feb 12, 2012Buried
It can't be because in a recession people's disposable income dries up? Nope. Nuh-uh!
craig1958Feb 12, 2012Buried
It will be worse than what the music industry went through, this is a much more specific market. There are still 70 year olds buying plastic CDs at Walmart. Once the game system makers decide to throw in the towel, it will be all over. I give them 5 years, at most.
leodinFeb 12, 2012Buried
I don't need statistics, it's basic logic. If the DRM has been cracked, then how could it be an inconvenience to pirates? If every pirate had to crack the DRM for himself, then yeah, it might be a hassle, and it might slow piracy, but that's not how piracy works. Once someone has a crack for the game, all anyone has to do is just download the cracked version.
As an example, let me point out Spore, which had notorious DRM, at least for legal users. Seems like a random choice, but this is a game I both pirated and paid for legally. The DRM was a pain in the butt for anyone who legally purchased Spore, but it was cracked almost instantly and not a single person who downloaded the pirated version ever had to deal with the DRM at all.
norman619Feb 12, 2012Buried
Not a mention of the poor economy and its possible impact on this.
zbeastFeb 12, 2012Buried
I haven't seen any must play games.
Games cost to much to just buy one because it came out.
I'm not going to buy a poor game just because i'm bored.
I have other thing's I could be doing.
particleman420Feb 12, 2012Buried
Steam.
lemurFeb 12, 2012Buried
It's because these games cost too damn much
downshiftdxFeb 12, 2012Buried
Cost, a change in my tastes for content, and not having time to dedicate to playing has done me in for games for quite a while. I just got bored and disgusted with games where the main focus is killing. Fallout 3 and New Vegas, while they do have a considerable amount of killing, didn't force me to slaughter everything like in so many shooters. JRPGs? Not enough time to commit to anymore. Sports? Nope - except Kinect Sports which I was really surprised how much I enjoy compared to "real" sports games. Racing games? Not interested.
The last game I got and played completely through was the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer game for Xbox. (My wife and I recently re-watched the series.) $8 on Amazon, kept me busy for several nights in a row after work. Made me appreciate games that have good controls and balanced enemies but it was still enjoyable despite some glaring problems and stupidly difficult parts that had to do with a crap checkpoint system.
I am actually thinking about keeping this up for a while by picking up dirt cheap old games that I was on the fence on years back and giving them a shot. Being out $2 - $10 isn't a big deal for a couple hours of entertainment even if it is laughing at how bad something is now.
craig1958Feb 12, 2012Buried
Maybe a small part, but it doesn't explain those numbers. This industry has much bigger problems than the current economy.
travelsonicFeb 12, 2012Buried
brenisa, do elaborate please.
leodinFeb 12, 2012Buried
How can DRM stop even 1% of pirates. All it takes is one person to figure a way around the DRM for ALL pirates to be able to bypass it. It's not like every person who pirates the game has to start over from scratch, they just download the version that's been cracked already.
That's my real issue with DRM - it's all or nothing, and so far, no DRM has been created yet that couldn't be bypassed. So basically, no pirate anywhere has ever been inconvenienced by DRM, only paying customers.
travelsonicFeb 12, 2012Buried
"1. It stops friends from just passing the game around"
Nope.avi
The files can be passed around with ease, and cracks make the files more than 1s and 0s that fill hard drive space.
"2. If somebody doesn't have a high-speed connection or doesn't use bittorrent, then he can't pirate a game."
Or they could learn about bitTorrent, take the time regardless of the slow speed, or get a copy from friends/alternative means.
"Wrong. Just spending hours downloading a game, working on patches, trying to get things going, only to hit a bug that is deliberately added by the game being pirated is a huge inconvenience."
Phony scenarios don't disprove his point, look at the facts, the DRM schemes causing inconvenience, and being bypassed by the knowledgeable very quickly.