Paradox Interactive has slammed the digital rights software of other companies, calling such anti-piracy measures a waste of money.
“I’m so surprised that people still use DRM. We haven’t done that for seven or eight years, and the reason is that it doesn’t make sense,” said CEO Fred Wester. “No one should have to purchase a product that they’re unable to install because of the DRM. There might be other reasons, like the compatibility isn’t correct, or whatever. But people who purchase a game should have just as easy a time as those who pirate the game, otherwise it’s a negative incentive to buy a legal copy.
“And I just can’t see why people are using DRM still. If you take something like Sony’s DRM, SecuROM — it’s a waste of money. It will keep you protected for three days, it will create a lot of technical support, and it will not increase sales. And I know this for a fact, because we tried it eight years ago, and it never worked for us. Two major reasons: it costs money and it makes you lose money, and the other is that it’s so inconvenient to customers.”
Thing is, DRM is only a waste of money if you sincerely believe it’s about piracy — which I don’t. There’s enough evidence to demonstrate that DRM does not work as advertised, but what it does do is allow publishers to exert even greater control over their paying consumers, and keep tabs on their habits. When you remember that publishers think like jealous boyfriends, then DRM makes perfect sense.
Paradox CEO Calls DRM a ‘Waste of Money’ [Industry Gamers]
