Do developers take notice of rampant PC software piracy? Should multi-platform games be released on console first before they're released on PC? Would this help or hurt developers recoup development costs before the darkweb zaps all profits away?

Many might argue that the people who would download pirated software wouldn't buy the game anyway. I'm not 100% sure I believe in that school of thought. I think that a game such as Life is Strange episode 1, priced at $4.99, would make spending such a small amount of money to help the developer continue making games would be a no-brainer. It costs less than a cup of Starbucks, or round-trip daily commute; yet - it's out there...

As far as I know, PS4/X1 piracy isn't possible. Why not have timed exclusives? Is the PC (paying customer) market that big that they can't afford to hold back that segment for three to six months? I know the installed base of current-gen consoles is only around 25 million, but that's 25 million paying customers vs a bunch of leechers.

It's my theory and hope that would-be pirates who eagerly want to play a game would rather pay for it, than wait three months to pirate it.

In another action deemed, "it's just EA being EA," software publisher Electronic Arts leaves this consumer disappointed in them again. In a PSN flash sale last week, EA reduced the price of Need For Speed Rivals base game to $12, but left their Need for Speed Rivals Complete Edition at the lofty $59.99. It's $12, how could I not buy it at that price?!? So I and many like-minded, budget-conscious consumers paid to add it to our collection.

This week on PSN, there is yet another sale of EA titles. What do we see here? NFS Rivals Complete Edition for $14.99. That is a great deal... a great deal if you didn't just buy the stripped down version for $3 less last week.

If you're into schadenfreude, you love this story so far, so you're welcome. For those who can commiserate with what a terrible hand some of us were dealt by this slap-in-the-face move, thank you.

Who does that? Is some EA CEO just trolling the last remaining customer base? I can just imagine it:

"Let me see the sales data from the PSN sale." ... "~500,000 digital copies of NFS sold! Watch me piss off half-a-million people."

related: http://consumerist.com/2013/04/09/ea-makes-worst-company-in-america-history-wins-title-for-second-year-in-a-row/

Not to be an ingrate, but I am... I'll explain.

I've been a Playstation Plus subscriber since the release of the PS4. I have enjoyed the fact that as a PS+ subscriber, I get so many free titles per month on my PS4, PS3, and Vita consoles; it's really a great value.

The ungrateful side of me is screaming, "why so many indie titles?!?" Sure, they've received rave reviews, and are in fact good titles. I just sometimes can't bring myself to play an 16-bit game on my PS4 - it's sacrilege! I have about 15-20 PS+ freebies so far, that I will probably never touch.

This past week, PSN had an "Indie Flash Sale" which offered some stunningly low prices ($4-$6 for games that were $20-$30.) I looked and clicked add to cart on a lot of these, because hey - they were "just $4!" In the end, I removed everything in my cart, because I had the overwhelming fear that next month one of the indie games that I just purchased will inevitably be a PS+ freebie.

Indie developers out there should see this as a cautionary tale. Sony is diluting the market with so many free indie games, your only hope is that Sony buys your game as next month's giveaway, because the masses of PS+ subscribers are going to be waiting in the sidelines until the day it goes free.