To continue, look at the music industry. What has curbed digital piracy? Not DRM. Not lawsuits. The only hope for the music industry has been to completely embrace digital shopping and make it as easy as possible.
You can't stop theft, but you can make buying a more attractive option.
(2012-11-20, 03:24 PM)brad-t Wrote: [ -> ]To continue, look at the music industry. What has curbed digital piracy? Not DRM. Not lawsuits. The only hope for the music industry has been to completely embrace digital shopping and make it as easy as possible.
If only the music industry
truly understood this, though. They seem hard-set on clinging to their old business model of ripping off consumers with DRM and region-exclusive releases as well as lawsuits. Maybe DRM is being phased out, but why are some regions getting huge bonuses and others not? I'm sorry, but I want the FULL Ultra Beatdown album -- that includes the FOUR Japanese bonus tracks -- and the only way to get it outside of Japan is either through importing or piracy, and the latter is just so much easier than the former.
But, I digress, that's just me going on a tangent. As brad said, embracing the digital market is the best thing a developer or designer can do. For another example, take a look at SEGA. They're going under in the physical market, so what do they do? Release their massive backlog of cherished classic titles on marketplaces like Steam, Xbox LIVE and the App Store, and rake in the cash as a result.