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SOCOM Bravo 3 Is Testing Ground For Sony’s New Anti-Piracy Plan
A lot of developers are trying to fight piracy with single-use codes to unlock bonus content for their games – a kind of carrot and stick approach to get people to buy new copies. With the recent release of SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals Fireteam Bravo 3 on the PSP, Sony is foregoing the carrot altogether, by requiring users to register the game via PlayStation Network before it can be played online. Each new hard copy of Bravo 3 comes with a single-use code that unlocks online play for that PSP (those who download the title instead will have their copy automatically registered). Like some extra content offered by developers, a new code can also be purchased for $20, if you decide to buy the game used.
IGN interviewed SCEA’s director of hardware marketing, John Koller, about the decision, who framed the decision as being purely about piracy. He also suggested that while it’s in the experimental phase right now, you may see more titles taking a similar approach in the future.
“SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3 is a trial run for a new initiative we are exploring for the platform," Koller said. "We will continue to explore this as an opportunity for the platform going forward, but we have no announcements to make on future iterations at this time.”
So, what do you think about Sony’s new plan?
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