Fallout 3 for the 360 already pirated...

[dangel]

...for those that believe the PC is the platform of pirates it's time to wake up a little!

http://www.videogamer.com/news/09-10-2008-9606.html

[Agent]

It's been available for a couple of days too

[dangel]

and not due till the end of the month!

I've got this pre-ordered for the PC - bet it's on the 'net before I see it drop through my door too!

[kalniel]

I don't think the piracy is yet at the numbers that will likely plague the PC release, but interesting that the PC one hasn't been leaked yet. Certain DVD replicator factories are going to be in the poop over this.

[Andy3536]

Days after going gold........looks like they have a mole.

[Agent]

Days after going gold........looks like they have a mole.

Its a reviewers copy, so not an internal leak as such.

[finlay666]

Its a reviewers copy, so not an internal leak as such.

If they track which company it came from they will be up poop creek, IIRC sometimes as they don't deal with a huge number they tag each one.

[kalniel]

Yeah but they have to be careful about that too - when Atari went after some review sites who'd leaked they were accused of just sueing them for giving bad scores. And that was with a comprehensive phone-home DRM to be fairly clear with.

[dangel]

I don't think the piracy is yet at the numbers that will likely plague the PC release

Why not? Huge install base, modding is trivial and lots of info on 'howto' via Google.

[kalniel]

Two reasons - first it's not as trivial as just clicking a link in your browser. Second it detectably voids warranty, which most X360 owners think they will have cause to call upon.

[dangel]

Two reasons - first it's not as trivial as just clicking a link in your browser. Second it detectably voids warranty, which most X360 owners think they will have cause to call upon.

...but they're cheap. Very cheap in fact, as compared to a single component for the pc.

Risk = one lost 360 (~£130). Gain = £40 off every game, forever.

Youtube makes it look darn easy too.

[sleepyhead]

Just to go slightly off topic:

Console piracy is pretty big but I do not know how big in relation to PC games being pirated. My friend comes from SE Asia and is currently working out there on contract. From Wii to DS to Xbox360 to PSP there are shops open that sell pirated games. What was even more eye opening was the ease at which he could purchase these games as these shops/stalls are more prolific than shops selling official games.

I do find it very irrating when companies blame PC pirates to stop making games for the PC platform.

[kalniel]

Just to go slightly off topic:

I do find it very irrating when companies blame PC pirates to stop making games for the PC platform.

Very few actually do. Rather they blame the dwindling revenue and increasing costs for PC games. They work hard to address both of those but piracy is one factor that has an effect on both (not through 1:1 sales lost though).

[dangel]

Looks on well known naughty site:

Seeders:
252
Leechers:
1987

That's just right now, not the total hits.

[kalniel]

That's already quite a lot lower than when I first heard about this. I don't think it's going to lead to any significant revenue loss.

[dangel]

That's already quite a lot lower than when I first heard about this. I don't think it's going to lead to any significant revenue loss.

It's a snapshot of a single torrent right now - not all of them. Shame they don't publish the total hits as that'd be a lot more informative (along with figuring other torrents of the same file(s) on every tracker in the World).

I guess my point was (earlier) that this is going on, and that the perception that the 360 platform is any more impervious to piracy is far from true. I just watched a guide on how to mod the 360 and it's remarkably simple. I'm sure there's plenty of people willing risk £130 of console to get 'free' games thereafter. Certainly the price of admission on the PC is a lot higher, when a single graphic card will cost you three times that.

In fact, I bet most people will do it after reading about it online or simply because a 'mate' has done it. I've got a modded last-gen XBOX which I bought pre-modded (to run XBOX MC, console games aren't my bag if you hadn't noticed!) from a UK company. I DIY'd one later with a kit I bought which was a lot harder than the 360-mod to fit!