While we’re on the subject of piracy (and using PotC-inspired images), a sad fact has come out today: 90% of the people playing the wonderful World of Goo have pirated it.
It’s easy to laugh at piracy when people pirate games using DRM or published by companies like EA, but when the game being pirated is the creation of an indie 2-man studio running out of the developers’ own pockets… Well, let’s just say it’s very sad news.
According to 2D Boy founder Ron Carmel, it’s been a little disconcerning to see the number of people pirating the game, but the company is not entirely crushed by it. "We’re doing ok, though," he said. "We’re getting good sales through WiiWare, Steam, and our website. Not going bankrupt just yet!" A few people have emailed or commented on the 2D Boy site that they initially downloaded the game and then later purchased it, but 2D Boy says that that is a rare occurence indeed. And while the profits from the 10% legit copies of World of Goo may be keeping the studio afloat, imagine what they could accomplish with the money the pirated copies would have given.
How will indie game developers combat the onslaught of piracy? I suppose all they can do is hope people have a change of heart and decide to support the small studio games they enjoy. In the meantime, I’m off to gift a copy of World of Goo to a friend for an early birthday present.
[via Joystiq]
