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Syndicate Dev Asks Pirates To Reconsider

firefly2003firefly2003 Member UncommonPosts: 2,527

Software piracy remains a huge problem in games, especially in the realm of PC gaming. Some developers counter it by implementing strict copy protection schemes. Some require that you register a code and always stay online to play. Others, like Syndicate developer Starbreeze, come up with some slightly more unique ways to approach pirates.

A poster on Reddit legitimately downloaded Syndicate from Origin but looked in the game's folders to discover an .nfo file. For those law-abiding gamers who may not have heard of it before, an .nfo file is essentially just an extra file usually thrown into pirated copies of a game so that you can know who cracked the game. This one was different though. Starbreeze put it in themselves.

In addition to tongue-in-cheek game and install notes, the Syndicate .nfo file includes a plea to anyone who actually pirated the game:

"Over a hundred people spent several years of their lives making this game. If you like what you play, please consider purchasing it if you haven't"

The .nfo file also notes that Starbreeze is looking for employees who can do programming, game design, and more, explaining how to contact them if you happen to be a particularly talented hacker who might be interested in switching sides, so to speak. You can read the full contents of the Syndicate .nfo file here.

Good on Starbreeze for coming up with a clever approach to a difficult situation. Hopefully it will have some morally challenged software pirates second-guessing their life choices.

[via Stick Twiddlers]


Comments

  • IchmenIchmen Member UncommonPosts: 1,228

    wow thats pretty neat. and does make sense, i mean most of the top game crackers are pretty good programers to begin with hense why they are cracking DRM on games, like ubisoft's settlers or skyrim or whatever... so its not like the crackers dont know how to code/program. so who knows maybe the next big game coder is an x-game pirate cracker lol.

  • PivotelitePivotelite Member UncommonPosts: 2,145

    Props to them for such a clever strategy to try to gain some cheap new employees lol.

    image

  • TrionicusTrionicus Member UncommonPosts: 498

    Very interesting.

     

    It still irks me that we pay nearly the same price or identical for digital downloads as box copies but since I'm headed tabletop RPG land I'm beginning to care less every day :D

  • PalladinPalladin Member UncommonPosts: 430

    I've always purchased evry copy of evry game I have ever played. Maybe I'm jsut a do gooder.

    AMD Phenum II x4 3.6Ghz 975 black edition
    8 gig Ram
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 760

  • DrakxiiDrakxii Member Posts: 594

    That is cool... though too bad it's on my do not buy list as it isn't on steam.

    I will not play a game with a cash shop ever again. A dev job should be to make the game better not make me pay so it sucks less.

  • jdnewelljdnewell Member UncommonPosts: 2,237

    Originally posted by Drakxii

    That is cool... though too bad it's on my do not buy list as it isn't on steam.

    Its on my do not buy list because I have read its like 8-10 hours long. I wont pirate it, and I wont buy it. $65 for a < 10 hour game i just dont even bother.

  • eyeswideopeneyeswideopen Member Posts: 2,414

    I think they're safe, the games not even worth pirating.

    -Letting Derek Smart work on your game is like letting Osama bin Laden work in the White House. Something will burn.-
    -And on the 8th day, man created God.-

  • ShakyMoShakyMo Member CommonPosts: 7,207

    if it took that long they should have made a decent game worthy of the syndicate name

     

    instead of a bloody COD clone.

     

    oh and the gall of EA calling it "an update of an EA classic", I'd be fuming if I was one of the old Bullfrog team

  • ShakyMoShakyMo Member CommonPosts: 7,207

    Originally posted by Ichmen

    wow thats pretty neat. and does make sense, i mean most of the top game crackers are pretty good programers to begin with hense why they are cracking DRM on games, like ubisoft's settlers or skyrim or whatever... so its not like the crackers dont know how to code/program. so who knows maybe the next big game coder is an x-game pirate cracker lol.

    its not the same thing at all, it's just a publicity stunt by EA to get a bad game more publicity.  Hackers <> coders

  • fenistilfenistil Member Posts: 3,005

    This game is weak anyway not worth even pirating.

     

     

    Anyway it is GONNA get pirated preety bad I presume. 

    Why?

     

    ALOT of players of original Syndicate will be interested BUT will be disappointed that this is FPS game and not what original syndicate game series were.  

    So they will want to check it out (and propably trash from hdd in matter of minutes / hours) but not want to buy cause 'it is bastarized Syndicated just leeching off IP'.

    You can say - there is demo. Some ppl don't even check if there is demo or not :/

     

    While this is morally bad - sure it is.

    Most of games like that is receiving this kind of treatment.

     

     

    Imho if you plan to do totally diffrent kind of game than precedesor games that have / had some sort of 'legend' then imo better to do new IP.

    Why ?

     

    Cause i.e. on many portals in my country this game was reviewed - "as succesor to Syndicate this is preety bad , as FPS is average".

     

    Not really good press.

  • KabaalKabaal Member UncommonPosts: 3,042

    Originally posted by fenistil

    This game is weak anyway not worth even pirating.

     

     

    It's short and good, not excellent, but good. That means it's worth my money. Some of the visuals in the game are outstanding.

    Why is it that people seem to decide that if a game isn't one of the best ever it's not worth their money?

  • spookydomspookydom Member UncommonPosts: 1,782

    They ruined the game, shame they worked so hard on it and missed the point of why it was good in the first place.  As for the .nfo file, I think it's a great idear and quiet funny.

  • rojoArcueidrojoArcueid Member EpicPosts: 10,722

    Since i moved to the US i tend to buy every game i want to play. Back when i lived in my native country there were many games not merchandised  there so we had to download torrent copies to play them unless we had families on this side of the river to send us the gifts back home. Now, i dont have a problem buy any game i want, but please developers provide demos for all your games. I dont want to buy a digital download and then regret it and lose my money. Also that saves me the time to go back to the store and turn back the physical copy for a refund if i dont like the game. If theres no demo, hell im getting it somewhere else to try it. If i do like it i definitely buy it, if i dont like it, deleted forever.

    edit: i dont think its  hard for devs to provide a demo, is it?





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