Can Kickstarter render DRM obsolete?

I

Icefire

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I was just noticing how many games are funded using Kickstarter. Maybe using this or pre-paid orders would mean if enough money is made in advance, there would really be no need for companies to worry about piracy? i mean there is always going to be some piracy. Some people just flat out refuse to pay for anything and steal it instead. But those dirtbags aside, would DRM really be necessary anymore if they reach a certain amount of funding beforehand, guaranteeing a profit? DRM only annoys those that play by the rules anyways. Maybe this could be a way to finally be rid of it, satisfying everyone??
 
It's like asking if security cameras in jewelry stores will ever be gone.
I'd say no. If something is luxury (and games certainly are) it's a desirable subject for potential theft.
 
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DRM is obsolete now since there is cracked version of everything (except diablo's DRM which is too expensive solution for most companies).
 
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It's like asking if security cameras in jewelry stores will ever be gone.
I'd say no. If something is luxury (and games certainly are) it's a desirable subject for potential theft.

Did you read my post? Thats a terrible comparison. I said if the games were PREPAID. Jewelry in the stores havent been paid for so of course cameras will still be in use.
 
That only works if the company is satisfied with the level of revenue they can get via kickstarter. Games like Diablo, Dragon Age, etc. generate tens of millions, sometimes hundreds of millions (with games like Grand Theft Auto) in revenue. You're never going to see that on kickstarter or anything else.

For indi's or small developers? Sure it could lead to the end of DRM, but never for mainstream titles.
 
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Let's not forget that the Kickstarter phenomena is still is its' infancy and everything seems like nothing but sunshine and butterflies. THE singlemost frequent problem in game development is missed deadlines and subsequent delays.

The Kickstarter method is even worse when it comes to renegotiating contracts than regular publishers because instead of dealing with a single entity you need to ask thousands of backers for more money (or maybe even start a New Kickstarter campaign).

If developers in general had been capable of estimating the cost of a project (both in terms of time and expenses) in the first place, there would be no need for Kickstarter.

I like the Kickstarter idea and I've already backed several projects but I fear that before long we'll start seeing failed projects where the devs couldn't live up to the initial estimates and are forced to drop the project due to lack of funding.
 
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It's like asking if security cameras in jewelry stores will ever be gone.
I'd say no. If something is luxury (and games certainly are) it's a desirable subject for potential theft.

Cameras prevent people from robing store and help catch them if they do try to rob it DRM doesn't do neither of those things.
 
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Did you read my post? Thats a terrible comparison. I said if the games were PREPAID. Jewelry in the stores havent been paid for so of course cameras will still be in use.

I don't quite understand what you're saying. Besides pre-orders and the people who contibuted to the kickstarter, how would the games be prepaid? No major company is going to limit their potential profit by accepting that a set amount of money made in advance is "enough".
 
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DRM is primarily to reduce day 1 or day 0 piracy. If you could get those same early pirates interested in access to the game via kickstarter then you might have some effect, so maybe having a free access to beta type program.

But otherwise it's probably only low budget games that can afford to support development by effectively pre-order sizes only.
 
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I don't quite understand what you're saying. Besides pre-orders and the people who contibuted to the kickstarter, how would the games be prepaid? No major company is going to limit their potential profit by accepting that a set amount of money made in advance is "enough".

Nowhere did i say that companies would accept a set amount of money as "enough". What I am saying is that IF enough preorders & funding is received to guarantee they won't lose money, would they bother spending money to protect from piracy? There will still be sales after the game is finished and there will still be piracy. Either way. But why try to protect something that is already paid for is what I am trying to get at. Say you sell someone a car. they give you the cash and say they will pick up the car in a few days. You are not going to put a lojack in the car are you? You're going to lock it up and leave it be until he picks it up.
 
Ok, I see what you're saying.

I think your question has already been answered though. As long as the industry has been around at this point, I think we would have seen it attempted by now. Most companies obviously feel DRM is still a necessity long after their investment has been returned.
 
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I disagree JDR. I have seen a lot of games go DRM free after a while. Mostly because a game is older and the company has gone under or doesnt care anymore obviously. But i have seen games release a patch that removes the cd check or drm totally from a game. Most still employ DRM because they dont use kickstarter and fund the projects themselves, no?
 
But those dirtbags aside, would DRM really be necessary anymore if they reach a certain amount of funding beforehand, guaranteeing a profit? DRM only annoys those that play by the rules anyways. Maybe this could be a way to finally be rid of it, satisfying everyone??

It could be that way if KS developpers were not looking for DRM solutions themselves.

DRM free is not general. Others want to include DRM.
 
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Let's not forget that the Kickstarter phenomena is still is its' infancy and everything seems like nothing but sunshine and butterflies. THE singlemost frequent problem in game development is missed deadlines and subsequent delays.

The Kickstarter method is even worse when it comes to renegotiating contracts than regular publishers because instead of dealing with a single entity you need to ask thousands of backers for more money (or maybe even start a New Kickstarter campaign).

If developers in general had been capable of estimating the cost of a project (both in terms of time and expenses) in the first place, there would be no need for Kickstarter.

I like the Kickstarter idea and I've already backed several projects but I fear that before long we'll start seeing failed projects where the devs couldn't live up to the initial estimates and are forced to drop the project due to lack of funding.

The situation is different. Published projects have to seduce a future customer base. But even with that, very often, games are released in a beta state or even worse. The first sales are to keep the project rolling and fund the necessary patches.

KS projects are in a far better situation: they have already seduced their customer base. As stated, published games, even as they have to seduce a future customer, are released in a non finished state.
How could KS projects have to deliver on the expectations when published games do not have to, to sell, and can go round panhandling after release day to promise better features if the game sells well? Buy the game, and we'll finish it.

All what KS projects have to do is provide a minimal version of the game, that installs. There is no other expectation. Because that is the expectation on published games.

As every buyer is registered in a data base, contacting themselves to sell them a new round of funding is very easy with current means. And it will work the same as for published games: if you want the game to be finished, provide new funds.
 
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I disagree JDR. I have seen a lot of games go DRM free after a while. Mostly because a game is older and the company has gone under or doesnt care anymore obviously. But i have seen games release a patch that removes the cd check or drm totally from a game. Most still employ DRM because they dont use kickstarter and fund the projects themselves, no?

A very small minority perhaps, but that doesn't change the fact that most companies use DRM for a significant amount of time after release or permanently. I don't see AAA developers ever using kickstarter anyways. What you envision might work for small developers.
 
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Can it? Yes, I believe it can. Will it? No, I don't believe it will.
 
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