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Crytek: Piracy Has Hurt PC-Only Games

By now, most of you know that Crysis 2 will be available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as well as the PC. But in addition to having the potential for more sales, there's another pressing reason Crytek went this direction.

In a recent PC Play interview with Crytek Director of Business Development and Engine Licensing, Carl Jones, we learn a few things about the process of delivering Crysis 2 to console owners. When asked about the CryEngine 2 and the licensing that went along with it, Jones said:

"Licensing a PC-only engine was made difficult in the last few years due to the changing nature of the games market itself. Piracy hurt PC-only games in terms of sales figures, so publishers and developers moved away from making such titles. As a result, console middleware was more widespread than PC focused technology such as CryENGINE® 1 and 2, but we have had some great successes and developers are working on great looking games that will launch soon, that started out on earlier versions of CryENGINE®. We’re happy with the quality we achieved, but circumstances limited the quantity of licensees we signed up. That won’t be an issue with CryENGINE® 3!"

Well, that's good to know; piracy is something that has plagued the PC world for years. They also continue to look forward to the CryEngine 3, which already has plenty of hype behind it. For our part, while we certainly understand the reasons for Crysis 2 to come to the PS3, we've always said to play a game based on the platform it was initially designed for. I.e., play Final Fantasy XIII on the PS3, play Bayonetta on the Xbox 360…play Crysis 2 on the PC. When a game is made with multiple platforms in mind – like most titles are – that's a whole different story. But in this case… Well, we'll just have to wait and see.

Related Game(s): Crysis 2

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OtisFeelgood
OtisFeelgood
15 years ago

Pfft, Im playing Bayonetta on PS3. ;o

hellish_devil
hellish_devil
15 years ago

Is it as good as they say??

OtisFeelgood
OtisFeelgood
15 years ago

Some people didn't like the demo because of the cheesiness but I enjoyed it…….and I usually avoid cheesiness.

hellish_devil
hellish_devil
15 years ago

But, about the gameplay, is it a button masher, or does it has a little bit of strategy?

PS: I never played a Devil May Cry


Last edited by hellish_devil on 12/21/2009 1:17:30 PM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
15 years ago

More proof of the death of PC gaming. Of course, there's piracy on 360 too.

Mornelithe
Mornelithe
15 years ago

To be honest, I think it's simply less likely that we'll see huge-name games, come out as PC only. Whereas, PC gaming in and of itself is by no means dead or going anywhere.

One could argue that it's due to piracy, one could also argue that it's simply too lucrative to go multi-platform. But, for the most part it will still come out for PC, and well…hardware provided the results will be superior.

But still, that's merely the high-end market. What about card games? Mahjong? MMO's? RTS'? Chess and other board games. Poker and other casino based games that require little to no PC to use. You're telling me those are going somewhere? I just don't buy it. The x86 architecture is just too familiar a beast…for developers small/large to simply ignore. Look at how long it's taken to get 3rd parties to remove their collective heads from their asses and figure out properly what to do with the Cell.

Anyway, my thoughts are, you'll likely not see any PC only games any longer, and certainly not nearly as many as in the past (Wonder about Diablo 3 and SC2?). But you'll still see a thriving market there, simply from sheer numbers (220 million PC's worldwide capable of playing games).

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
15 years ago

I think it becomes less and less likely to be embraced by the newer generations of gamers with each passing year. It really is for the old school players.

LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
15 years ago

You're crazy World. PC gaming is well and alive. Games like SC2, Diablo3, BFBC2, and anything Valve makes to name a few ensure that PC gaming continues to flourish. Sure the gaming scene isn't as cluttered as it used to be but I find far more duds on consoles than on PC.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

This is just another pieces of proof that piracy is bad for everyone. Imagine all those freetard PC owners who think it's OK to torrent a game instead of paying for it. Their justification for their torrents and other breaking of protection on copyrighted materials has always been "Oh, I just makie backups." or "Well, I wouldn't have bought it anyway, I was just trying it out." or "Try before you buy!" and any number of other pointless and empty statements used in a half hearted attempt to justify theft.

Folks need to realize and recognize that piracy is bad for EVERYONE. Sure home brew freaks can blather on about how their custom firmware adds functionality, or allows them to play backups, or run emulators (which generally only play pirated ROMS anyways). But the biggest single feature of custom firmware or console modding is the ability to play pirated games. Sure it's dressed up as the ability to play from a backup disk, but that's not kidding anyone any more is it? The vast majority of use of that kind of feature is to play games that have been torrented and burned to DVD, and not paid for.

Time after time game developers and publishers have said this was a problem, and here is CryTek vocally being the latest example.

It's simple economics. Between the sales of new games lost to the trade-in market at GameStop and the like, and the rampant piracy that plagues platforms such as PC, PSP and 360, developers are losing significant numbers of sales. If a developer anticipates a market of 5 million gamers interested in their product, what happens if a third of that market either downloads a copy or buys it second hand? The market drops to a little over 3 million. I don't know about you, but my business couldn't withstand losing a significant fraction of my customers.

Whether people want to admit it or not, piracy is killing parts of the gaming industry. Get it through your heads people, the only way to get more games in the future is buying games in the present.

At least the PS3 is relatively secure, still. But for how long?

Gamers, consumers everywhere really need to start examining themselves and consider that their actions do matter. With so many people still attempting to steal games, music and movies by downloading them and not paying, should we really be surprised when companies in the business of providing such content try to protect themselves?

</rant>


Last edited by TheHighlander on 12/21/2009 11:49:32 AM

LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
15 years ago

Piracy isn't bad for everyone. Thanks to Piracy I was able to play MW2.

tes37
tes37
15 years ago

TheHighlander

I thought they already developed a way to cause glitches in games when they're copied.

Hezzron
Hezzron
15 years ago

@LV

You must be trying to get yourself thrown in jail or assassinated by the underground scene. 😉

LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
15 years ago

@hezzron73

Oh come on, it's like peeing in the shower. Everyone has done it.

Imagi
Imagi
15 years ago

@LV

I pee in the sponge.

LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
15 years ago

Isn't that a sign of extreme gayness?

The Doom
The Doom
15 years ago

@TheHighlander
off topic but whos the chick with the red hair mirroring kosmos? she reminds me of lucy from elfen lied, but i see no horns

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

It's Mizuho Kazami from Onegai Teacher.

Hexen
Hexen
15 years ago

I like many others don't have(and don't want)a 360 to play Bayonetta on(if only it had been released on PC as well).I do agree though that Crysis feels out of place in a console but I'm sure they want to make real money this time around.

ohmikkie
ohmikkie
15 years ago

For might part its a shame what piracy has done to the PC market. I've been a PC gamer for years and before that ZX Spectrum, Atari ST & Commodore Amiga. Never was into consoles until the latter half of PS1 era.

But I also believe that PC hardware market moves forward at a far quicker pace than the software tech. And moves too fast for most people to keep up. That's precisely why I decided to use me PS3 as primary games machine this generation. Having both a PS3 and an XBox is way cheaper to own than having to upgrade every 6 months.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

Definitely. The grind of upgrades on PCs is part of the problem there. However if you look around on the net, you can find without much effort just how rampant software (especially game) piracy is. Just make sure your browser is configured not to run javascript or active X, that your firewall is secure and that your anti-virus software is up to date. You don't want to pick up any unwanted visitors along the way.

atomaweapon
atomaweapon
15 years ago

The reason crysis sold like crap for pcs is not just piracy. When the game first came out, you basically couldn't play it unless you had a pc that didn't exist yet. I don't think quadcores were even out yet.

You had to upgrade your equipment with new video cards and processor and all that jazz just to play it. People pirated it to see if it would run on their pc's. When they found out it was basically a glorified demo to sell the engine, people didn't bother going out and buying it.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

Unreal Tournament sold badly, really badly. IIRC when it launched, the number of downloads that could be tracked on torrent sites out numbered the number of purchases.

ohmikkie
ohmikkie
15 years ago

yep. quads were out. just. I'd just upgraded to an E6600 & Nvidia 8800gt then and that weren't enough.

hellish_devil
hellish_devil
15 years ago

You know Ben, I live in latinamerica, where piracy is everywhere. From softwares, music, books, and of course, videogames. You know, here (I live in Bolivia) people (myself included) are used to buy EVERYTHING pirate. Must people here don't know that there are original products because piracy has been here for a while. You can find PS2 games for 1,5$, and they are good quality. Xbox360 games for 5$. PC games for 1$, PSP and DS games cost you 0,5$. You know, before buying my PS3, I used to buy pirated games, cause that was (and is) normal to me. What surprises me the most is that a game that is released on (as an example) april 1, copies of it appear on april 3! And of course, they are just as good as the original copy!

Right know, there are even Blu-Ray movies that you can buy with 13$ (not much diference). But the worst is the music, where you can buy a complete discography with about 2$ (yeah, a complete DISCOGRAPHY!!) and you can find almost any artist you want, from Beethoven to Metallica.

That's even another reason that the Xbox 360 sells better, because the are pirated games for it. Most of my friends have Xboxs of Wiis, but just 2 or 3 have a PS3, because here we just know about pirated games. And,for me buying a game is a pain in the ass, because here PS3 games cost like 80 to 100$, and that is A LOT compared to the 360's games that cost 5$, and they are the same.

If there were pirated games for the PS3, I bet it would boost its sales, because in the ps2 era, EVERYONE owned a PS2, and that's because there were pirated games. I knew nobody that owned a Gamecube or an Xbox.

That's just my opinion


Last edited by hellish_devil on 12/21/2009 1:07:41 PM

Oxvial
Oxvial
15 years ago

Yeah and when mod 360's get RROD they can't use the guarantee so they buy another 360 to mod that's another big reason of the 360 sales.


Last edited by Oxvial on 12/21/2009 1:37:03 PM

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
15 years ago

Um…well, pirating can't exactly "boost" sales because pirating is essentially stealing (although I understand your situation). If the people who provided the product aren't receiving payment for your enjoyment of it, the system really can't work, regardless of the reasons.

TheJackyl
TheJackyl
15 years ago

I'm wondering, did you guys in Latin America have any issues with Microsoft's huge ban of modded consoles?

hellish_devil
hellish_devil
15 years ago

Well, I don't know, cause my friends that have a 360 just do not play online.

Imagi
Imagi
15 years ago

I use to know someone with a 360 that had lots and lots of games but only 1 was legit.

cheng
cheng
15 years ago

and now we're gonna have to put up with all the elitists give out about how ps3 n 360 will hold back crysis 2's development…

A2K78
A2K78
15 years ago

This guy is really clueless, but piracy isn't just hurting PC-only games but its affecting the entire consumer market whether you are talking about the PS3, PC, 360, Wii, DS, etc. The very fact that MSFT banned many 360's prior to the release of Modern Warfare 2 demonstrate this.

Right now though the only part of the games market not really being affected by piracy is the coin-op(arcade) market because people like Namco, SEGA and Taito have gotten smarter in when it come to combating piracy by the way their game software and hardware is designed.

As for the issue of piracy, while I personally will never turn to piracy for moral reasons, I honestly don't blame individuals who turn to piracy.

People don't get the fact that the industry copyright cartel which have the aid of stupid laws such as the DMCA(Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and patents is driving people to piracy in the droves, but speaking about the games industry its not just the DMCA which is forcing gamers into piracy, but the fact gamers are being scammed into paying $60 and money for DLC. If games were really priced right(not fairly) gamers wouldn't be turning to piracy or the used game market but instead buy legit software.

"Whether people want to admit it or not, piracy is killing parts of the gaming industry. Get it through your heads people, the only way to get more games in the future is buying games in the present."

How can piracy be killing part of the industry when in fact its these game developers(like crytek) which is driving gamers to piracy? Again,it doesn't help that gamers are paying for seriously overvalued games and DLC/microtransactions, all with is driving gamers to piracy. All I can is if you're going to blame someone for the rampant piracy going on don't blame the pirates, but blame the industry itself.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

Tell me, how is it that makers of games, DVDs, movies, or music are driving people to theft?

Oh, is it because things cost money and you don't have enough to buy everything you want? Tough, try saving and then buy. You want to whine about the cost of games today, how about looking at the cost of games on the Atari 2600 or SNES and then applying inflation. Games are far less expensive than they were then.

Honestly I'm so sick of this BS, there is no justification for copyright theft. Your convenience is not sufficient reason for you to steal, not being able to afford what is (let's face it) a luxury item, is no justification for theft.

Copyright infringement aka 'piracy' is theft. I'm not saying that the tactics of the recording arts industry are right, far from it. the RIAA and others have used tactics that are criminal in their own right. But one wrong doing does not justify another. They are not right to trample consumers in reaction to copyright theft, and consumers are not right to steal copyrighted products as a reaction to perceived wrong doing by the industry.

If you walk into a Best Buy and apply five finger discount to a game, BluRay, DVD or CD, you are committing the crime of theft, right? So, tell me how using the Internet to accomplish the theft makes it any less criminal.

I'm not trying to get on a high horse or something, this is simple right from wrong. If we all know that stealing is wrong – and I'm going to assume that we do. Why do some consider it OK to download stuff of the Net instead of paying?

___________
___________
15 years ago

no games cost a sh*t load more today than they use to.
i remember back in the PS1 days i bought crash bandicoot 3 for 60 bucks on release.
PS1 games use to release at 60 bucks a pop.
than PS2 games came out and they retailed for 90 bucks.
now PS3 games have released and retail for 120 bucks.
dont know about anywhere else, but game prices here have doubled since PS1 days.

hell even playstation magazines.
i remember they use to be 10 bucks back in the PS1 days.
and they were fan fu**ing tastic!
they had so many previews of games, game announcements and such months before the interwebs had it.
now days.
lets see, i picked up the latest edition of OPM AU and its got a few previews of heavy rain old, AVP old, army of two the 40th day old, darksiders old, bayonetta old.
and reviews for this months and some of last months games.
and that cost me 20 bucks.
anything i read in todays OPM AU mag i have read a month or 2 ago from IGN or whoever.
prices have gone through the roof!
gone are the days where a shave and a hair cut cut cost you six pents.
hell i got my hair cut the other day, cost me 25 bucks.
thats a long way from six pents.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

@anon

There is this thing called inflation, I'm sure you've heard of it, something to do with prices rising over time…

No, seriously, I can remember paying the equivalent of $40-$60 for games back in the early 80s. I know that if inflation is applied, those prices would be at least $100-$120 today. So, I think it can be said that games are cheaper now than they have been before.

___________
___________
15 years ago

wait you were paying 60 bucks for PS1 games?
you live in the US no?
well aint that what ps3 games cost now?

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

I was in the UK at the time of the PS1. The PS1 and it's games used to cost the same number of UK pounds as they did US dollars, you could literally take the us Price and simply change the currency symbol. The trouble was that the exchange rate of Pound to Dollar meant that we were always paying between 1.5 and 2 times as much as our US friends.

However I was referring to the prices of games for earlier consoles and home computers as well. Even in the US, the prices of games on older systems like th Atari 2600 or SNES are proportionately higher than the cost of games today, if you take inflation into account.

A2K78
A2K78
15 years ago

This guy is really clueless, but piracy isn't just hurting PC-only games but its affecting the entire consumer market whether you are talking about the PS3, PC, 360, Wii, DS, etc. The very fact that MSFT banned many 360's prior to the release of Modern Warfare 2 demonstrate this.

Right now though the only part of the games market not really being affected by piracy is the coin-op(arcade) market because people like Namco, SEGA and Taito have gotten smarter in when it come to combating piracy by the way their game software and hardware is designed.

As for the issue of piracy, while I personally will never turn to piracy for moral reasons, I honestly don't blame individuals who turn to piracy.

People don't get the fact that the industry copyright cartel which have the aid of stupid laws such as the DMCA(Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and patents is driving people to piracy in the droves, but speaking about the games industry its not just the DMCA which is forcing gamers into piracy, but the fact gamers are being scammed into paying $60 and money for DLC. If games were really priced right(not fairly) gamers wouldn't be turning to piracy or the used game market but instead buy legit software.

"Whether people want to admit it or not, piracy is killing parts of the gaming industry. Get it through your heads people, the only way to get more games in the future is buying games in the present."

How can piracy be killing part of the industry when in fact its these game developers(like crytek) which is driving gamers to piracy? Again,it doesn't help that gamers are paying for seriously overvalued games and DLC/microtransactions, all with is driving gamers to piracy. All I can is if you're going to blame someone for the rampant piracy going on don't blame the pirates, but blame the industry itself.

fadin_illusion
fadin_illusion
15 years ago

as for me.. i never bought an original licensed game/software until i bought a ps3. infact, don't know a place in my country where original games are available on xbox360,pc.

hellish_devil
hellish_devil
15 years ago

Yeah, me too

Snaaaake
Snaaaake
15 years ago

Same here, my first original is UC2 and KZ2, and it's worth every penny.

Because of piracy my PS2 library easily go past 50 within 2 or 3 years.


Last edited by Snaaaake on 12/21/2009 7:53:59 PM

RadioHeader
RadioHeader
15 years ago

My mates aren't keen gamers but a couple of them now have 360s purely for the fact that the games are free. I've often wondered if Micro$haft allow hacker-friendly hardware just to increase their fan base. Once they've monopolised the industry they may care more about piracy.

Imagi
Imagi
15 years ago

Would not be the first time, they turn a blind eye to people in China who use pirated copies of Windows, because otherwise they would be using Linux.

LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
15 years ago

PC developers need to adapt a similar business model that Valve uses. Sure you can all hate on them due to their lack of PS3 support but when it comes to PC gaming Valve has found a dedicated following. The combination of Steam and Valve's games makes it worth it to throw money at them rather than pirate a game.

I'd love for Crytek to throw out some figures in regards to this "piracy". I'm sure they've simply seen the money that can be made on the 360 and PS3 rather than it being all about piracy.

Fane1024
Fane1024
15 years ago

Again, it's not the lack of support. It's the trash-talking.

P.s. I wanted to use a different, more accurate word than "trash", but decided to keep it clean.

LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
15 years ago

PS.

not

P.s.

Postscript is one word.

I understand what you're getting at in regards to Valve, no denying their comments towards the PS3 have been rather unpleasant.

Fane1024
Fane1024
15 years ago

LOL

But I'm actually right. Though I had a typo (small "s") which I was unable to correct when I noticed it, the standard abbreviation used is "P.S.", because it comes not from "postscript", but from "post scriptum", which is two words in latin.

Though the OED apparently lists "PS" as the correct form, so let's call it a draw. 😉


Last edited by Fane1024 on 12/23/2009 6:46:06 PM

BTNwarrior
BTNwarrior
15 years ago

I am so glad that this is coming to ps3 cause the first one, while it would run on my laptop I had to turn all the settings to either medium or low. Now I will be able to enjoy it in HD like it was meant to be.

LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
15 years ago

I'll get it for PC like the 1st one and run it on the highest settings possible 🙂

Kiryu
Kiryu
15 years ago

PS3 is the only system which has no piracy
Game developers should realise this and make their games PS3 exclusives to make more money!


Last edited by Kiryu on 12/21/2009 11:13:19 PM

Geobaldi
Geobaldi
15 years ago

It's just a matter of time. Custom firmware updates have already been made, and other progress has been made as well. The PlayTV addon for example makes it easier since it's not protected at all. We'll be seeing pirated PS3 games soon I think. But as long as Sony keeps releasing updates, that will slow it down even more.


Last edited by Geobaldi on 12/21/2009 11:30:24 PM