With the gaming industry being in the state in which it currently is (I’m talking to you, EA, Ubisoft, and all you other companies that put out mediocre game after mediocre game just to make profits), it’s understandable that at least some gamers prefer to make sure that their game is indeed worth the $60 price.
So pirating games isn’t anything new and doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, despite the best efforts of companies (see the new Denuvo system which prevents cracks from being developed) to prevent it. Other companies, accepting the piracy but still hoping to prevent it, are going about it in a less buzzkill way.
Eye for an eye?
Doing just what they did with their previous critically acclaimed title, Remedy gives Quantum Break pirates an eye-patch. The previous title to which I’m referring is, of course, Alan Wake, a game far superior to Quantum Break that also donned the main character with an eyepatch for those players that decided to pirate it.
Aside from the main character wearing an eyepatch with the skull and crossbones printed on it, the game’s loading screens are also loaded with suggestions that the players but the game. And the eye patch idea became so popular, in fact, that a petition started asking the company to include the eyepatch to non-pirate gamers as well.
Trick or no treat
Of course, the company didn’t want just to amuse the game’s illegal downloaders, but to trick them into confessing their crimes. This would have worked by assuming that some fans would post on forums complaining about the problem, thus incriminating themselves. And as cliché as the ploy sounds, it actually worked despite the fact that this isn’t the company’s first similar rodeo.
However, seeing as fans are requesting that the eye patch be introduced to paying customers as well, it would seem like the ruse didn’t work exactly how Remedy and Microsoft wanted it to work. And seeing as the reviews for the game are very mixed, edging towards bad, piracy will apparently still be a common practice regarding Quantum Break.
Mistakes
Along with all the other issues mentioned above, the developers made yet another one that limited their trick’s reach – or rather expanded it. You see, the piracy detector worked by checking if the store is still open while playing the game. This means that even if a player actually bought the game but closed the store app before playing it, he would still be treated as a pirate.
Understandably, this led to some controversy, as legit buyers were accused of piracy, while more proficient pirates, like those that learned to block the game’s internet access, had no issues with the game whatsoever. Still, in a market full of companies that take themselves way too seriously, it’s refreshing to see at least some humor coming from major developers.
Image source: YouTube
