Why pay when you can get it for free! PC Gaming piracy NPD numbers. (With Poll!)

You can pirate console games also. Besides buying used games hurts developers just as much as pirating games does.artichoke

Glad somebody else is onto this.

for 1 steam sales are now worth over 50% of total pc games sales

2 just because you download the game files doesn't mean its going to work, especilly onine, it very tough to get working game without valid cd keys

3 consoles piracy is just as bad

imprezawrx500

You really think that 50% of all PC games sold are done via Steam? Got any links or proof of that?

[QUOTE="cobrax25"]you do realize you can pirate Console games right?wok7

Cause piratng console games is just as easy as for PC games, right cobrax?

On topix: Yes, PC gaming is pretty much dead except for the extreme casual and hardcore sides.

[QUOTE="cobrax25"]you do realize you can pirate Console games right?wok7

Cause piratng console games is just as easy as for PC games, right cobrax?

On topix: Yes, PC gaming is pretty much dead except for the extreme casual and hardcore sides.

How come my PC games dont have HD? The 360 has been out for 2 years and PCs still hacent cought up! :cry:

you do realize you can pirate Console games right?cobrax25

not as easy as PC games, to pirate console games you need to hack your console

[QUOTE="Gunraidan"]You do realize most of these pirated games come from around the world.Indestructible2

..........................................................................

You can pirate console games also. Besides buying used games hurts developers just as much as pirating games does.

artichoke

How? Buying a used game means someone else bought the copy.

1 copy sold that goes to the pub/dev vs pc Assassins Creed for example which hasnt sold any copies yet and thousands of people are currently playing it.

They're not NPD, but it's like the NPD numbers of piracy for one day. ONE DAY.

http://kotaku.com/364440/pc-gamings-piracy-sales-charts

Albanian_Killa

Where did Kotaku get those exact numbers?

[QUOTE="cobrax25"]you do realize you can pirate Console games right?wok7

Cause piratng console games is just as easy as for PC games, right cobrax?

On topix: Yes, PC gaming is pretty much dead except for the extreme casual and hardcore sides.

It costs less then $20 for a 360. Roughly $70 for a Wii. Oh, and the funny thing is... you can play online with the pirated games, just like an original owner. On the PC however, getting a pirated version means:

1. Having to wait for "cracks" every time a new patch is released

2. Cannot play online, unless it's a "cracked" server -- which is rare and usually unpopulated

Not to mention Steam-based games, Bioshock, and other games that require decryption before play being very annoying to play pirated.

does mininova even show how many dls happen per day?

to my knowledge i didnt think they did

those numbers seem highly inflated for a day, they seem more like all time downloads

altho im not arguing the facts that lots of ppl pirate games its just hard to believe mininova has such high numbers considering its a horrible torrent site

someone messed up researching for this article

wooopz

Nah, that was a snapshot at that very second of what was going on. That's also just one torrent site, as there are many other trackers out there not represented in those numbers. There are exponentially tons more PC Gamers in the world than console gamers, just a lot of them that don't pay up. They're Pirate Gamers. Eastern Europe and most of Asia seem to be the worse, and that has a lot to do with the fact that in China for instance, IP isn't viewed the same way we view it.

The guys from Relic were on the GFW Podcast over at 1up and said that almost a million people in China alone downloaded the Company of Heroes patch, a country where they hardly sold a copy. The good thing is, company's in the PC space like Relic are changing up their entire way they do business. Right now, they are putting advertising in a new version of Company of Heroes and they will probably do the same for the rest of the world if it works.

[QUOTE="wooopz"]

does mininova even show how many dls happen per day?

to my knowledge i didnt think they did

those numbers seem highly inflated for a day, they seem more like all time downloads

altho im not arguing the facts that lots of ppl pirate games its just hard to believe mininova has such high numbers considering its a horrible torrent site

someone messed up researching for this article

mismajor99

Nah, that was a snapshot at that very second of what was going on. That's also just one torrent site, as there are many other trackers out there not represented in those numbers. There are exponentially tons more PC Gamers in the world than console gamers, just a lot of them that don't pay up. They're Pirate Gamers. Eastern Europe and most of Asia seem to be the worse, and that has a lot to do with the fact that in China for instance, IP isn't viewed the same way we view it.

The guys from Relic were on the GFW Podcast over at 1up and said that almost a million people in China alone downloaded the Company of Heroes patch, a country where they hardly sold a copy. The good thing is, company's in the PC space like Relic are changing up their entire way they do business. Right now, they are putting advertising in a new version of Company of Heroes and they will probably do the same for the rest of the world if it works.

And to think Starcraft still stacks up as one of the best selling games in history -- even though pirating is destroying PC gaming..

[QUOTE="Albanian_Killa"]

They're not NPD, but it's like the NPD numbers of piracy for one day. ONE DAY.

http://kotaku.com/364440/pc-gamings-piracy-sales-charts

HoldThePhone

Where did Kotaku get those exact numbers?

Rock Paper Shotgun, which is probably the best PC gaming news aggregate site. The OP should have quoted them, since Kotaku takes alot of their stories and circulates them.

[QUOTE="mismajor99"][QUOTE="wooopz"]

does mininova even show how many dls happen per day?

to my knowledge i didnt think they did

those numbers seem highly inflated for a day, they seem more like all time downloads

altho im not arguing the facts that lots of ppl pirate games its just hard to believe mininova has such high numbers considering its a horrible torrent site

someone messed up researching for this article

HoldThePhone

Nah, that was a snapshot at that very second of what was going on. That's also just one torrent site, as there are many other trackers out there not represented in those numbers. There are exponentially tons more PC Gamers in the world than console gamers, just a lot of them that don't pay up. They're Pirate Gamers. Eastern Europe and most of Asia seem to be the worse, and that has a lot to do with the fact that in China for instance, IP isn't viewed the same way we view it.

The guys from Relic were on the GFW Podcast over at 1up and said that almost a million people in China alone downloaded the Company of Heroes patch, a country where they hardly sold a copy. The good thing is, company's in the PC space like Relic are changing up their entire way they do business. Right now, they are putting advertising in a new version of Company of Heroes and they will probably do the same for the rest of the world if it works.

And to think Starcraft still stacks up as one of the best selling games in history -- even though pirating is destroying PC gaming..

Yep. Even with piracy, PC Games still manage to do extremely well, bar most multiplatform titles in the States.

[QUOTE="cobrax25"]you do realize you can pirate Console games right?wok7

Cause piratng console games is just as easy as for PC games, right cobrax?

On topix: Yes, PC gaming is pretty much dead except for the extreme casual and hardcore sides.

It's not even entertaining anymore. It's like having to pander to a gifted person that no one wants to care for.

You're gonna have to try harder than that.

[QUOTE="artichoke"]You can pirate console games also. Besides buying used games hurts developers just as much as pirating games does.

Cranler

How? Buying a used game means someone else bought the copy.

1 copy sold that goes to the pub/dev vs pc Assassins Creed for example which hasnt sold any copies yet and thousands of people are currently playing it.

He just said it was like a demo of assasin's creed since you don't have the full game.

[QUOTE="Cranler"]

[QUOTE="artichoke"]You can pirate console games also. Besides buying used games hurts developers just as much as pirating games does.

Bebi_vegeta

How? Buying a used game means someone else bought the copy.

1 copy sold that goes to the pub/dev vs pc Assassins Creed for example which hasnt sold any copies yet and thousands of people are currently playing it.

He just said it was like a demo of assasin's creed since you don't have the full game.

Its the full game.

You also cant compare 1 bought copy thats torrented to thousands of people to a console game being owned by 2 people.

you do realize you can pirate Console games right?cobrax25

Exactly, actually in my country it's bigger.

[QUOTE="Bebi_vegeta"][QUOTE="Cranler"]

[QUOTE="artichoke"]You can pirate console games also. Besides buying used games hurts developers just as much as pirating games does.

Cranler

How? Buying a used game means someone else bought the copy.

1 copy sold that goes to the pub/dev vs pc Assassins Creed for example which hasnt sold any copies yet and thousands of people are currently playing it.

He just said it was like a demo of assasin's creed since you don't have the full game.

Its the full game.

You also cant compare 1 bought copy thats torrented to thousands of people to a console game being owned by 2 people.

It's the full game? Really? Wow these pirates are getting really good. So good that they can now go into the FUTURE and get games that haven't been released yet! Just amazing.

The one bought copy that is pirated is all that is needed. Why would they need to make more then the one copy? If just as many people buy used games as there are people downloading then it's about even for how many copies are out that the company didn't get money for.

[QUOTE="Bebi_vegeta"][QUOTE="Cranler"]

[QUOTE="artichoke"]You can pirate console games also. Besides buying used games hurts developers just as much as pirating games does.

Cranler

How? Buying a used game means someone else bought the copy.

1 copy sold that goes to the pub/dev vs pc Assassins Creed for example which hasnt sold any copies yet and thousands of people are currently playing it.

He just said it was like a demo of assasin's creed since you don't have the full game.

Its the full game.

You also cant compare 1 bought copy thats torrented to thousands of people to a console game being owned by 2 people.

You do know that hardware companies do sponser and aid many devs, right? Devs get a lot of their money that way. Point is, pirated or not, both the devs and hardware companies get their money. As long as Hardware companies exist, PC gaming will stay alive. Not to mention the little fact that it's actually growing and becoming even more popular as a game platform.

you do realize you can pirate Console games right?cobrax25

[QUOTE="cobrax25"]you do realize you can pirate Console games right?Mad_Rhetoric

the full game? Really? Wow these pirates are getting really good. So good that they can now go into the FUTURE and get games that haven't been released yet! Just amazing.Bgrngod

[QUOTE="cobrax25"]you do realize you can pirate Console games right?Mad_Rhetoric

Console piracy is still bad. When you consider the used game market, that is considered piracy by many developers and publishers on the console side. Think about every console game release and just look at Gamefly or Blockbuster. They buy a fraction of the amount of copies for a multiple amount of gamers, who are essentially playing the game and not paying the publisher/developer for it. I don't see the difference other than with consoles, a corporation like Blockbuster or Gamefly is profiting second hand. For some reason, our attitude is ok in America, as long as some corporation is profiting.

you do realize you can pirate Console games right?cobrax25

You should check out how many people actually download these 360 game torrents.

[QUOTE="Bgrngod"]the full game? Really? Wow these pirates are getting really good. So good that they can now go into the FUTURE and get games that haven't been released yet! Just amazing.Vandalvideo

and Halo 2... I think that came out a loooong time before release. Loads of console games do. COD4 came out 5 days early. Mass Effect a few days earlier. Console piracy is huge... it's just that the media isn't trying to cover it yet.

[QUOTE="cobrax25"]you do realize you can pirate Console games right?Deihmos

You should check out how many people actually download these 360 game torrents.

[QUOTE="Deihmos"]

[QUOTE="cobrax25"]you do realize you can pirate Console games right?Vandalvideo

You should check out how many people actually download these 360 game torrents.

usenet and private trackers -- I'm pretty sure it's not against TOS, since these are just general terms.

[QUOTE="Vandalvideo"][QUOTE="Deihmos"]

[QUOTE="cobrax25"]you do realize you can pirate Console games right?rimnet00

You should check out how many people actually download these 360 game torrents.

usenet and private trackers -- I'm pretty sure it's not against TOS, since these are just general terms.

Not everyone is willing to pay a premium for usenet. I know some people around here pirate their games though.

Not everyone is willing to pay a premium for usenet. I know some people around here pirate their games though.Deihmos

[QUOTE="Deihmos"]Not everyone is willing to pay a premium for usenet. I know some people around here pirate their games though.Vandalvideo

The ones that don't are slower than torrents and have crappy retention. PC games are also on usenet you know.

Not everyone is willing to pay a premium for usenet. I know some people around here pirate their games though.

Deihmos

Usenet access is usually free with most ISPs, including Comcast and Verizon. Private trackers do not cost you money. So the point is still made.

[QUOTE="Mad_Rhetoric"][QUOTE="cobrax25"]you do realize you can pirate Console games right?karasill

console piracy is nothing compared to all of the mooching of torrents going on for the PC. you cant even compare them and also when you look at people modding their 360's, they can't go on xbox without being banned off of it. Also microsoft released updates that bricked modded systems so they had some counter attacks towards it. I also think the whole talk about pc having most AAA exclusives and AA exclusives isnt even good because you cant just go back 10 years and claim that game counts it's just a ridiculous argument. Half of the AA PC titles no one ever brings up.

Consoles have more quality titles and are much more appealing to the masses. PC to me is basically MMO, RTS, and FPS. The FPS's are basically a wash now since the consoles are getting all of them too.The 360 leeches games like Bioshock, Mass Effect etc so I just dont see a good reason to get a PC if I have a PS3 and a 360.

but it's all about preference and some people will prefer the PC over consoles that's just the way it is. I think the only advantage 360 has over PC is that they get high profile titles like Mass Effect way before the PC. If that wasnt the case I think one can argue that PC and PS3 as a combination would be awesome. but right now I got a PS3 and a 360 so I think I am set. My wii just collects dust.

[QUOTE="Gunraidan"]You do realize most of these pirated games come from around the world.Indestructible2

Number of times a PDF file containing how to hack your 360 to play backups was downloaded on one website: 202,968rimnet00

From a small sample from a popular torrent site COD4 has been downloaded 417,197 times and that is only from a few of the torrents from one site. You seriously cannot think 360 piracy is nearly as bad as PC.

[QUOTE="rimnet00"]Number of times a PDF file containing how to hack your 360 to play backups was downloaded on one website: 202,968Deihmos

From a small sample from a popular torrent site COD4 has been downloaded 417,197 times and that is only from a few of the torrents from one site. You seriously cannot think 360 piracy is nearly as bad as PC.

Where did I say it was? I'm simply pointing to the fact that console piracy is also a very big issue, while at the same time is both easier to pirate, as well as allows the user to have full access to all game features. Whereas on the PC, piracy requires jumping over hurdles, while still being limited due to both server-side key authentication, as well as requiring updated cracks with each new patch.

[QUOTE="rimnet00"]Number of times a PDF file containing how to hack your 360 to play backups was downloaded on one website: 202,968Deihmos

From a small sample from a popular torrent site COD4 has been downloaded 417,197 times and that is only from a few of the torrents. You seriously cannot think 360 piracy is nearly as bad as PC.

It isn't but how much does the rental service and preowned game industry take away from total profits to the devs? Not to mention royalities that devs have to pay for the consoles (doesn't exist for PC)... I think its also rather rediculous that people try to do comparisons for short term sales of say Bioshock.. Why though? Because of hardware requirements, the minority of people out there can play it compared to the whole.. IN the end pc games sell better over time then console games thats the point.. Thats why it was amazing to see Crysis to sell so well in such little time... Not to mention look at something like Halo 3.. It had one of the largest if not the largest commerical campaigns ever for a video game..

This is not to say piracy is a problem it is.. But I honestly think its overblown in the PC market, and pc gaming is thriving as it is.

[QUOTE="Bebi_vegeta"][QUOTE="Cranler"]

[QUOTE="artichoke"]You can pirate console games also. Besides buying used games hurts developers just as much as pirating games does.

Cranler

How? Buying a used game means someone else bought the copy.

1 copy sold that goes to the pub/dev vs pc Assassins Creed for example which hasnt sold any copies yet and thousands of people are currently playing it.

He just said it was like a demo of assasin's creed since you don't have the full game.

Its the full game.

You also cant compare 1 bought copy thats torrented to thousands of people to a console game being owned by 2 people.

Look, it's not the full game. You can look in the link at the first page.

There's also alot of DS & PSP games in the torrents your talking, and they seem to sell very well.

[QUOTE="Deihmos"]

[QUOTE="rimnet00"]Number of times a PDF file containing how to hack your 360 to play backups was downloaded on one website: 202,968rimnet00

From a small sample from a popular torrent site COD4 has been downloaded 417,197 times and that is only from a few of the torrents from one site. You seriously cannot think 360 piracy is nearly as bad as PC.

Where did I say it was? I'm simply pointing to the fact that console piracy is also a very big issue, while at the same time is both easier to pirate, as well as allows the user to have full access to all game features. Whereas on the PC, piracy requires jumping over hurdles, while still being limited due to both server-side key authentication, as well as requiring updated cracks with each new patch.

Well when you consider a popular game like COD4 only manage to get 15,000 downloads on torrents compared to over 500,000 on PC. I can't help but think it's not that many people pirating console games. PS3 games can't be pirated but 360 games still outsell.

[QUOTE="Deihmos"]

[QUOTE="rimnet00"]Number of times a PDF file containing how to hack your 360 to play backups was downloaded on one website: 202,968sSubZerOo

From a small sample from a popular torrent site COD4 has been downloaded 417,197 times and that is only from a few of the torrents. You seriously cannot think 360 piracy is nearly as bad as PC.

It isn't but how much does the rental service and preowned game industry take away from total profits to the devs? Not to mention royalities that devs have to pay for the consoles (doesn't exist for PC)... I think its also rather rediculous that people try to do comparisons for short term sales of say Bioshock.. Why though? Because of hardware requirements, the minority of people out there can play it compared to the whole.. IN the end pc games sell better over time then console games thats the point.. Thats why it was amazing to see Crysis to sell so well in such little time... Not to mention look at something like Halo 3.. It had one of the largest if not the largest commerical campaigns ever for a video game..

This is not to say piracy is a problem it is.. But I honestly think its overblown in the PC market, and pc gaming is thriving as it is.

Those rental companies buy tons and tons of the games. Maybe they have some kind of agreement with publishers. I don't know.

[QUOTE="rimnet00"][QUOTE="Deihmos"]

[QUOTE="rimnet00"]Number of times a PDF file containing how to hack your 360 to play backups was downloaded on one website: 202,968Deihmos

From a small sample from a popular torrent site COD4 has been downloaded 417,197 times and that is only from a few of the torrents from one site. You seriously cannot think 360 piracy is nearly as bad as PC.

Where did I say it was? I'm simply pointing to the fact that console piracy is also a very big issue, while at the same time is both easier to pirate, as well as allows the user to have full access to all game features. Whereas on the PC, piracy requires jumping over hurdles, while still being limited due to both server-side key authentication, as well as requiring updated cracks with each new patch.

Well when you consider a popular game like COD4 only manage to get 15,000 downloads on torrents compared to over 500,000 on PC. I can't help but think it's not that many people pirating console games. PS3 games can't be pirated but 360 games still outsell.

Once again, 360 games are not found frequently on public trackers.

[QUOTE="Deihmos"][QUOTE="rimnet00"][QUOTE="Deihmos"]

[QUOTE="rimnet00"]Number of times a PDF file containing how to hack your 360 to play backups was downloaded on one website: 202,968rimnet00

From a small sample from a popular torrent site COD4 has been downloaded 417,197 times and that is only from a few of the torrents from one site. You seriously cannot think 360 piracy is nearly as bad as PC.

Where did I say it was? I'm simply pointing to the fact that console piracy is also a very big issue, while at the same time is both easier to pirate, as well as allows the user to have full access to all game features. Whereas on the PC, piracy requires jumping over hurdles, while still being limited due to both server-side key authentication, as well as requiring updated cracks with each new patch.

Well when you consider a popular game like COD4 only manage to get 15,000 downloads on torrents compared to over 500,000 on PC. I can't help but think it's not that many people pirating console games. PS3 games can't be pirated but 360 games still outsell.

Once again, 360 games are not found frequently on public trackers.

And so are PC games. Still torrents are more popular than usenet. Most people don't know what that is.

[QUOTE="rimnet00"][QUOTE="Deihmos"][QUOTE="rimnet00"][QUOTE="Deihmos"]

[QUOTE="rimnet00"]Number of times a PDF file containing how to hack your 360 to play backups was downloaded on one website: 202,968Deihmos

From a small sample from a popular torrent site COD4 has been downloaded 417,197 times and that is only from a few of the torrents from one site. You seriously cannot think 360 piracy is nearly as bad as PC.

Where did I say it was? I'm simply pointing to the fact that console piracy is also a very big issue, while at the same time is both easier to pirate, as well as allows the user to have full access to all game features. Whereas on the PC, piracy requires jumping over hurdles, while still being limited due to both server-side key authentication, as well as requiring updated cracks with each new patch.

Well when you consider a popular game like COD4 only manage to get 15,000 downloads on torrents compared to over 500,000 on PC. I can't help but think it's not that many people pirating console games. PS3 games can't be pirated but 360 games still outsell.

Once again, 360 games are not found frequently on public trackers.

And so are PC games. Still torrents are more popular than usenet. Most people don't know what that is.

Not at all. The 360 release scene is very different from the PC release scene. Private trackers for console releases are the most popular, while not so much with PC games for that very reason.

Not at all. The 360 release scene is very different from the PC release scene. Private trackers for console releases are the most popular, while not so much with PC games for that very reason.

rimnet00

Well you should know.

[QUOTE="rimnet00"]

Not at all. The 360 release scene is very different from the PC release scene. Private trackers for console releases are the most popular, while not so much with PC games for that very reason.

Deihmos

Well you should know.

Arrrr