Limiting Piracy of Cricket Games

[cricket_online]

Biggs says...

As per a discussion branching off in another thread...

Lets take a side-route and talk Piracy of Cricket Games amongst the community, specifically how can we STOP (read: reduce greatly) online piracy of Ashes Cricket 2013 so we can support Chief, Trickstar and 505 as well as the game of cricket that we love.

What are some concepts that you guys have that would help reduce (or end) Piracy of Cricket Games in your country, or online? I'm not talking about coding or some horrific Ubisoft style DRM all over the game, but practical ideas that we as a community can come up with to promote the purchase of Ashes Cricket 2013 legally in YOUR country.

This isn't a thread to promote copying any games or talk about websites that do. It's simply a community-initiated discussion of some concepts to tackle this in a positive way so as many people as possible can support this game with our wallets when it's released...

__________

@Biggs/mods,

IMO it would be a good idea to have a thread regarding "How to limit piracy for cricket games" or something similar on the forum. Folks from sub-continent can put forth their motivations for buying pirated stuff and view-points on countering the same. At the end of the day if game developer/publishers know the reason why piracy is prevalent, it can only be good for cricket gaming fans as the game publishers can work on countering the same. As an example if late release of the game in sub-continent is why people purchase pirated stuff, maybe the sub-continent release can be aligned with the world-wide release of the game. I am sure Chief, Ross and other folks from cricket game development/publishing houses will find the information useful.

At the end of the day sub-continent, specifically India, generates 80% of global cricketing revenue. This clearly shows folks out there love cricket and are willing to spend money on the game. If even a fraction of sub-continent folks purchase cricket games legally (i.e. non-pirated) we will have an annual cricket game franchise a la Madden series

 

[cricket_online]

This would be a VERY worthwhile discussion. It's very hard to get actual facts and numbers from the Asian market and if anyone has any (especially useful if you can cite a reference for where you get them from, starting with the "80% of global cricketing revenue stat if possible!).

Awesome thought.

Here are a few links which talk about 80% of global cricket revenue is generated by India...

India the new world provider for cricket

http://www.mfat.govt.nz/NZ-Inc/5-Op...nomy-and-the-world/1-India-in-perspective.php

India: Changing the game of cricket - TIME

I am sure if you google it you will find more details. Fact is India is the biggest player in financial terms and it makes sense to get them on board for any cricket related initiative.

In the old days gaming wasn't that big in India and combined with the smallish middle class one could afford to by-pass India. But with Indian middle class expanding & economy booming, and the new generation into gaming (based on lots of posters from India) it looks things have changed. Maybe they would lag behind Eng & Aus for the time being in cricket game sales but in the near future things are bound to change.

As a selfish cricket gaming fan, I would love to see you guys and Big Ant be as successful as possible and for cricket games be a huge hit. This would result in more cricketing games in the future and looks like India/sub-continent could be a short cut to that goal.

 

[BlitzBerg]

Well, those Indians who say they have to wait weeks for the game to arrive in their town, haven't you heard of online shopping? Flipkart has always been putting up pre-order services for much anticipated games, and also provides a free-of-charge cash on delivery option, if you worry about your card being misused.

 

[Biggs]

Limiting Piracy of Ashes Cricket 2013

One idea I have, thinking about how I PURCHASE games personally, is in the tried-and-true "playable demo" option. When games are released with say a small sample of whats on offer, then an option after a "taste" to purchase right-away I will 99% of the time buy on the spot. This goes for Apps on my phone right across to the Playstation Store. The "try before you buy" option is always my preferred method of purchase. I get a small taste of whats on offer then immediate prompting afterwards to buy the full version if I like it.

I see an option within Ashes Cricket that there's an online "2 - 5 Over" demo for Playstation, Xbox or PC Players that gives a TASTE of what is on offer, then after say 10 days, the demo expires and you can purchase the full version on PC or a link to Purchase via the Playstation Store. It promotes a "vote with your wallets" style of promotion, which is how a good portion of real people shop these days. I'll always make sure I'm test-running in a pair of shoes, before I go and run a 10km in them... Shoes, like games, are always a big investment and you want to get the most bang for your buck.

It's not a NEW concept, but I don't think enough developers do this these days. I think if they BELIEVE in the game and BELIEVE that it's quality, giving people a taste of whats on offer then prompting them to buy it is a good move.

 

[MattW]

I'd start with unique CD Keys for PC online play - If you can't stop it outright, at least deny major features of the game. When it's tied to online play, an online verification test isn't offensive DRM.

I personally don't mind Steam - I even have a few uPlay games*, but I certainly can see why its a turnoff for many, I am mightily annoyed the DRM on BLIC2005 means I can no longer play the game on my PC, so don't want something that stops working if the servers ever go off. But with online verification for an online game mode it doesn't matter - the DRM would stop with the service it allows for.

Another feature that you could limit without being onerous would be an ability to register the key to unlock a 'developer' mode - someone buys the legal game and would then have a few game files decrypted that would allow for a bit of game modding.

Perhaps even print it in the manual with one of those things where you have to hold it up to the light on the right angle and... No, don't do that.

*I bought a bundle a while back, with a few games I wanted and a few I have no interest at all in - if you want Assassin's Creed Revelations, The Settlers 7 or Might & Magic Heroes VI Deluxe for PC and probably under uPlay, send me a VM - the first to do so can have them (one each)

 

[Biggs]

Another feature that you could limit without being onerous would be an ability to register the key to unlock a 'developer' mode - someone buys the legal game and would then have a few game files decrypted that would allow for a bit of game modding.

THIS!

Brilliant idea. ..maybe not a "developer" mode, but a "Personalisation" mode whereby ONLY if you purchased the game legally would certain mod-functions work. This of course, would prolly only work on PC and would need to be supported by an "official" modding application somehow, but that's a great out of the box concept. Like it. ...Chief, what say you?

....P.S, Matt, Revelations is a great game. Takes a bit to get going but it's a wonderful end coda to Ezio's story

 

[MattW]

I was thinking of Developer along the lines of the program that a few phone makers have for allowing device rooting - lower level access after verification. Personalisation might be a closer term.

Mod Mode vs God Mode showdown...

Console piracy on the modern platforms is something that's easier dealt with by the console manufacturers - they do system wide anti-piracy, like requiring the latest system software for games, etc. I think it's mostly a PC issue.

....P.S, Matt, Revelations is a great game. Takes a bit to get going but it's a wonderful end coda to Ezio's story

I already had a copy on Xbox - where I also have no interest in it. My sisters are big fans of the series, I never could get in to it.

 

[Biggs]

Yeah, I think the Xbox/PS3 issue isn't that much of a problem for developers (that I know of) so it's prolly just the PC area, but I think that "Personalization" mode is a good starting point, if it's easy enough to integrate. I guess also offering things like pre-order bonuses and exclusive player "skins" are also valuable ways to promote legally purchasing the game - ie, if you don't pre-order you miss out on a "Classic England Kit" option in the game or something like that...

It's gotta be something that's exciting for the consumer and something they DON'T want to miss out on. That's a strength of UbiSoft (again, using them as an example) is they always have neat pre-order bonuses. Sometimes TOO many, but you can also catch-up on what you missed later on with a $25 "season pass" or whatever after release. Gotta walk that fine line of offering bonuses and offering a half-finished game with the "extras" as a money-making scam though!

Mod Mode vs God Mode showdown...

"Chief Mode"

 

[cricket_online]

Quoting a poster (sahilnatu) from another thread...

"Ppl here still prefer "going to a DVD store - getting the DVD" way. Moreover, do you guys rent Games out there? You surely can't in here.
That's one of many reasons ppl take up piracy. Cos then if you buy a game here for say about 500 INR (that's mere $10, but then in India you seldom get good pocket money) and it doesn't turn out good, its precious money wasted. So ppl take the wrong way. It's a damn silly excuse, I'm not even defending the ppl, but you won't get it unless you're in their shoes.
We are neither pirates nor do we support piracy, but yes, life is different here."


Methinks the sub-continent culture still hasn't caught up with online shopping and majority of sales still happen via brick and mortar stores. Could be various reasons for the same - a) wide-spread credit card and/or online fraud, b) lack of use of credit cards in sub-continent etc.

Based on the views of folks from sub-continent regarding piracy, here are the reasons I can list...

1. Discrepancy in the release of games in the sub-continent compared to rest of the world. Apparently the game is not available for a few weeks after the release in Eng/Aus.

2. Lack of online shopping culture. On the flip side, games not available in a "brick & mortar" store.

3. Pricing. Looks like the price-point is tad high for sub-continent.

4. Lack of knowledge/information regarding piracy. Apparently folks buy pirated copies without knowing the difference between a pirated copy and the real thing. As long as they "purchase" a copy of the game, they think they have done the right thing. Maybe most of the folks think that as long as they themselves don't make a copy of the game/DVD it's fine, even though they may actually purchase it from a place which is pirating the games/software.

5. No "video game rentals" available so folks are a bit shy about buying the original game not knowing whether they will get the bang for their bucks.

6. Lack of marketing/awareness about the game and the legal channels folks can purchase it. Apparently there are video-gaming sites and video gaming stores (maybe Indian version of Gamestop or EB Games) but they don't have any information about these games.


Note to folks from sub-continent: If you guys can list the top video-gaming sites and the top 3-4 video game stores then maybe 505 Games or Big Ant Studios can reach out to them to spread awareness of the game. Online should be easy as Chief and Ross can do what they do here and maybe that will help garner more sales.

Note to 505 Games, Big Ant (Chief, Ross) - Apparently there are cricket games for PS2 which are a hit in India. In fact a sequel to one of the games (Street Cricket Champions" was released late 2012. That means there's a market for cricket video gaming that can be leveraged. I'm not sure about PS3 but am willing to bet if folks can purchase PS2 games, they would be willing to buy games for PS3/Xbox 360 as well. Maybe you will need to investigate a bit more at Indian video gaming sites for more details. Here's the info for the games I was able to find on the net...

Street Cricket Champions Review (PS2) and Gameplay | Gamescastlive

IndianVideoGamer ? Street Cricket Champions 2 out now for PS2, PSP | IVG is your source for video game news, reviews and previews with an unique Indian perspective

P.S. - Apparently there's already a PS3 Move edition of street cricket out and here's the review...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYSeRuHLTUY
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...cket-ps3-game-reviewed/videoshow/12579025.cms

What's hilarious is that the reviewer says at the end "I suggest you save up your bucks and go for a bigger title like EA".

Maybe these folks need to know that the "bigger titles" will not come from EA but from 505 Games and Big Ant and I guess it's up to game publishers to let them know.

 

[sahilnatu]

Planet M - Music Retail Store.
It also sells Games for PC and other consoles. It is present in all major cities in India (140+ locations). It is quite famous, so almost everybody knows it.
Wonder if the developers could make a sort of deal with such stores, promote their games, build up some pre-release excitement & eventually ppl will end up buying the original copies.

Just to tell you, when I asked a couple of friends of mine if they knew about a game named AC2013 coming up this June, they had no clue. And I bet everybody would know it by June end. What I mean to say is that there's lack of info among the ppl.

But then, this is a layman's perspective. Whether such thing would be feasible or not rests solely upon the developers.

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And one more thing, missed out on that in the last post, BigAnt & 505Games - nobody knows them here. As I said earlier, ppl have lack of info. Most of them still know only about EA or SEGA or a handful more. (I say most, not all. There are some guys out here that know more than enough though).

 

[angad]

1) Price the game well. Rs.500 is an ideal price point to ensure that people are actually 'tempted' to buy the original games.
2) Provide some additional benefits for people who register their original games like dlc, kits, personalization modes as mentioned above. (this will go well with the strategic pricing, as once they are used to buying the original copy and reaping its benefits, they would always want to buy the original. Next time you can increase the price a bit)
3) Assist the modders on this forum, in return they would add some form of encryption on their mods which will ensure that the copy is original for these mods to run.
4) Online play should only be possible for registered copies
5) Add stats that link to worldwide stats and make these stats available only at the registered sites. So in order to compare the stats, the user needs to be registered
6) Add a free poster or something. Ask the local dealers to arrange for these. Will cost much lesser.
7) Now this is a decision which has high risk and (possible) high rewards!! Sign up with a local cricket star (like Kohli). Show few promos on TV with him playing the game, holding the original CD and just looking cool with the original disc. Trust me.....people in India (teenagers specially) get influenced by these things. If they think Kohli is looking cool with the original disc, they will want one as well instead of a digital download. The IPL is coming up.....its a good time to buy a regular TV AD spot for promoting your game. Make sure you show the price of the game in the ads.
8) Make sure you have the same day release


But before all of the above....please ensure you have a super awesome game...else you would struggle selling original copies anywhere in the world

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Planet M - Music Retail Store.
It also sells Games for PC and other consoles. It is present in all major cities in India (140+ locations). It is quite famous, so almost everybody knows it.
Wonder if the developers could make a sort of deal with such stores, promote their games, build up some pre-release excitement & eventually ppl will end up buying the original copies.

I dont think the publishers would get in touch with any shop directly. There is a distribution channel which needs to be followed. There are companies like Milestone etc who are official distributers, and I dont think any shop (including planet M) would buy the games directly from the publishers and risk spoiling their relationship with the official distributers.

 

[Biggs]

2. Lack of online shopping culture. On the flip side, games not available in a "brick & mortar" store.

See, I don't buy that. I've been to India, you see websites and online buying options advertised quite a bit both in-stores and on television... However, on the flip-side it can be very difficult to obtain a credit-card in India, from speaking to friends that I work with...

That being said traditional sales in store of CD's or DVD's is a thing of the past, to be frank. In 10 years time kids will look at us the same way as we look at our parents who hang on to record players or gramophones...

Ebay, Amazon and the PlayStation store are all fairly common places to get games these days, also getting around that "release date delay" of the physical CD, whilst also being easy places to purchase stuff for the average consumer (PayPal can be linked to your bank account, etc, even in the subcontinent). It's considered a "fairly new thing" where I'm based (classed as an "emerging market") but online retailers are doing a roaring trade.

It's becoming more and more common.

 

[angad]

See, I don't buy that. I've been to India, you see websites and online buying options advertised quite a bit both in-stores and on television... However, on the flip-side it can be very difficult to obtain a credit-card in India, from speaking to friends that I work with...

That being said traditional sales in store of CD's or DVD's is a thing of the past, to be frank. In 10 years time kids will look at us the same way as we look at our parents who hang on to record players or gramophones...

Ebay, Amazon and the PlayStation store are all fairly common places to get games these days, also getting around that "release date delay" of the physical CD, whilst also being easy places to purchase stuff for the average consumer (PayPal can be linked to your bank account, etc, even in the subcontinent). It's considered a "fairly new thing" where I'm based (classed as an "emerging market") but online retailers are doing a roaring trade.

It's becoming more and more common.

Well then it depends on who you are targeting in India. Is it the teenage and younger group (who do not have a credit card and whose dad's think online shopping is unsafe + They visit the malls a lot and shop everything in CASH!!!) or the slightly older generation who have finished college and are into jobs and yes they do not mind buying stuff online. Mind you, even in the older generation there are a majority of people who think online buying is unsafe.

I have been staying in India all my life and I can tell it to you, buying games from online stores is still a niche market in India. You would sell maximum discs here if you

a) promote it very well. Make the people 'want' it badly
b) Price it well
c) Have the discs in as many local stores as possible, as people here still buy most of their stuff in CASH!

 

[sahilnatu]

I dont think the publishers would get in touch with any shop directly. There is a distribution channel which needs to be followed. There are companies like Milestone etc who are official distributers, and I dont think any shop (including planet M) would buy the games directly from the publishers and risk spoiling their relationship with the official distributers.

Oh yes, you're right there. As I said, it was a layman's perspective.
Okay, not the stores directly, but they (developers) must at least strike a deal with the distributors to ensure enough marketing for the game prior to it's release. What's important is that the game gains enough popularity before the release, builds up the excitement, and leaves the consumers counting the days for its release. Such popularity shall hopefully encourage them to buy the original copies.

 

[BlitzBerg]

1) Price the game well. Rs.500 is an ideal price point to ensure that people are actually 'tempted' to buy the original games.

500 Rupees? Thats less than 1/3rd of the price they've put on Amazon. They just wouldn't be able to drop it that much. Also, I hardly think that should curb you from buying a pirated copy. A pirated copy would how much? - around Rs. 100? Thats more than 1/16th of the original price.

The only thing you can actually do is make something new protection software that wouldn't allow you to copy even a simple text file from the disc to any drive, let alone creating an image/duplicate disc. That should minimize piracy.