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Pixel Piracy's Developer Offers Torrent Link For People To Pirate Their Game
Pixel Piracy is an indie roguelike that puts players in control of a pirate ship, sailing the dangerous seas and hunting for treasure. While the developer of the game, Solidust, is focusing on piracy on the high seas, it isn't ignoring online piracy of their game.
Solidust is addressing the issue head on by providing a link on the Pixel Piracy's website for a torrent to download the game. The studio is even seeding the game.
"We believe that anyone who wants to pirate our game will do so anyways, and feel it's a much safer bet to offer those people the official link to our game in hopes that they keep their computer's virus free," says the Solidust in a post on the game's website.
The indie studio is asking those who download and enjoy the game to consider paying for it. Voting for the game on Steam Greenlight and recommending it to friends would also help tremendously, says Solidust.
Pixel Piracy is currently in alpha and available at Desura at a 40 percent discount.
Our Take
There is no way to stop of online piracy. What matters is how developers address it. Going down the restrictive DRM path might slow down theft but it alienates the fans who have bought the game. I think this is the wrong way to deal with the issue.
Solidust is making an interesting decision by trying to get something in return for the inevitable piracy. I hope it works out for the studio. It joins other studios that have recently addressed piracy in a way that doesn't hurt the people who purchase their game. CD Projekt RED has promised that The Witcher 3 will be DRM-free and Greenheart Games hilariously leaked a broken version of Game Dev Tycoon. Hopefully more studios will follow their lead.
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