Crysis 2 Leaked Over a Month Before Launch
iviv66 writes with this excerpt from Rock, Paper, Shotgun:
"According to a thread on the Facepunch forums, a developer build of Crysis 2 containing the full game, multiplayer and the master key for the online authentication has been leaked, and is currently freely available from all sorts of astonishingly illegal websites. This sounds like it might be a serious tragedy for Crytek. Crysis 2 was scheduled for release on the 22nd of March, so the leaked build could be dangerously close to finished."
EA and Crytek have responded to the leak, saying that the illicit copy is incomplete and unfinished, and that "Piracy continues to damage the PC packaged goods market and the PC development community."
Valve went and changed the game substantially and for the better. I hope they take the chance to do the same to crysis 2, if they do (add more value) then no one will pirate the inferior version.
Considering crytek keeps their workers in "company provided" living spaces to make them work longer and underpay them quite strongly I say they deserve it.
... This is a ridiculously huge blunder for such a huge company and they've pointed fingers at piracy before ...
Finally, someone talking about the main point. Exactly. This has nothing to do with piracy at all; along with any damage caused. They fucked up, plain and simple.
The tone of their response to the leak just sounds like posturing, by a management that may be looking to either impose some hair-brained DRM scheme, or more than likely *hang on to their jobs*. Ridiculous.
It's this new breed of management that is turning the PC gaming platform to shit and FUD.
Piracy is like the new "the dog ate my homework" for the 21st century.
Both EA and Crytek have been whining for some time about how the PC is no longer viable as a gaming platform, and about how they need to drop it and focus on consoles. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but this could be an inside job. EA reviewed the gold master, realized it was another plotless tech demo like the first one and therefore unlikely to sell in great numbers, and decided to sacrifice Crysis 2 on the altar of public opinion, to help all their poor sheep consumers realize that "PC = EVIL". I hope I'm totally talking out my ass, but it sounds like 'logic' we've seen from EA before.
The preceding comment is my own, and in no way construes an opinon of the Emperor of Mankind.
Ultimately their goal was to make Crysis 2 for consoles then give the PC a shitty port. Then derp derp PIRACY herp hurrr durr! and then Crytek never makes a PC game again. Way to go pirates, because of this you just have them their golden egg for their "PC=piracy rhetoric" and there will be one less game to play on the PC.