Interview No retailers, no publishers. Fargo: "This, to me, is the future"

[Curious_Tongue]

“The second part of it is that now with digital distribution, we have access to sell it directly to them. So with digital, we removed the retailer, and with Kickstarter, we removed the publisher. So: Boom! Both guys are out! Direct! That’s a wonderful thing. On top of it, we have the forums, with which we communicate with [our customers], so now they’re even involved in the design process.

“This, to me, is the future.”

Didn't Fargo become wealthy from publishing games he didn't create?

 

[Black]

“The second part of it is that now with digital distribution, we have access to sell it directly to them. So with digital, we removed the retailer, and with Kickstarter, we removed the publisher. So: Boom! Both guys are out! Direct! That’s a wonderful thing. On top of it, we have the forums, with which we communicate with [our customers], so now they’re even involved in the design process.

“This, to me, is the future.”

Didn't Fargo become wealthy from publishing games he didn't create?

Like, most if not all publishers?

 

[Infinitron]

“The second part of it is that now with digital distribution, we have access to sell it directly to them. So with digital, we removed the retailer, and with Kickstarter, we removed the publisher. So: Boom! Both guys are out! Direct! That’s a wonderful thing. On top of it, we have the forums, with which we communicate with [our customers], so now they’re even involved in the design process.

“This, to me, is the future.”

Didn't Fargo become wealthy from selling products he didn't create?

Like, most if not all CEOs?

Fixed.

 

[epikitscheesy]

“The second part of it is that now with digital distribution, we have access to sell it directly to them. So with digital, we removed the retailer, and with Kickstarter, we removed the publisher. So: Boom! Both guys are out! Direct! That’s a wonderful thing. On top of it, we have the forums, with which we communicate with [our customers], so now they’re even involved in the design process.

“This, to me, is the future.”

Didn't Fargo become wealthy from publishing games he didn't create?

Yep, so?
Apparently, he's been a developer at heart all the while.

This is great. Huehuehue, I'm so edgy

 

[Norfleet]

Wonderful future of clouds, digital distribution and DRM. Can't. Fucking. Wait.

I dunno, I don't see the Kickstarter-funded concept as being necessarily promoting of DRM. It could be the case kickstarting becomes the means by which developers get paid at all, where people pay them to make the game that is then released for free. I don't see this as a bad thing. At least then I'll listen to you when you talk about some game, as opposed to dismissing you as an obvious advertising plant.

 

[Ion Prothon II]

These things are not necessarily related to one another. We have DRM in our boxed games right now. We can buy MMO ("cloud") games in boxes right now.

It's just the beginning. So far the new methods of distribvution are introduced, and the old still exist. Publishers don't have yet the technology or abilities to create ze final solutzion for piracy, or they just implement it slowly. I believe things will get visibly worse after the release of next Xbox & PS iteration.

I dunno, I don't see the Kickstarter-funded concept as being necessarily promoting of DRM. It could be the case kickstarting becomes the means by which developers get paid at all, where people pay them to make the game that is then released for free. I don't see this as a bad thing. At least then I'll listen to you when you talk about some game, as opposed to dismissing you as an obvious advertising plant.

Crowdfunded games are bound to either cloud (game as service) or digital distribution platforms. Digital distribution is bound to DRM. Simple. In both cases consumer is fucked, more or less.

 

[Infinitron]

Digital distribution is bound to DRM.

WTF. GOG anybody? This is simply utterly false.

Crowdfunded games are bound to either cloud (game as service)

And this doesn't even make sense.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

Infinitron, I agree with you that strictly speaking digital distribution and DRM are to seperate issues. However there seems to be a strong correlation between the former and the latter. GoG is the one single exception, in that it allows you to download full, independently working copies of your game.
I might be wrong, but I have the impression that every other download service out there provides customers with copies that only work in connection with the respective download service, even if it's just the requirement of a one-time connection during the game's installation.

With games sold on CD/DVDs you always have the "check for original disc" copy protection. In most cases it is useless and easily deactivated by crackers, but still.

In case of digital distribution, the only possible copy protection is online authentication. It's either that or no copy protection at all, like in the case of GoG.

Of course, like you say, many (most?) boxed games that are released these days have internet based drm, so my point doesn't matter really.

 

[Ion Prothon II]

Digital distribution is bound to DRM.

WTF. GOG anybody? This is simply utterly false.

Crowdfunded games are bound to either cloud (game as service)

And this doesn't even make sense.

GOG vs world. But I understand you, as a developer, would choose a restriction- free distribution and be totally OK with your game on torrents, just a day after the release.

And what exactly doesn't make a sense. Those 2 options are in general what's left after skipping the traditional distribution channels. Add third option if you want to count in internet beggary.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

Ion Prothon a lot of games that are traditionally distributed these days come with DRM. Traditional or digital distribution it doesn't matter, DRM is here to stay and it will become even more intrusive in the coming years, because "classic" copy protection is useless (cracks). For you as a customer, the choice between traditional and digital distribution will just be the choice between downloading your cloud-game client on the internet or getting it on a DVD.

If anything, kickstarter might be the only option to get non drm-games, after all both Wasteland 2 and Tim Schafers adventure game offered drm-free digital copies of the games as rewards for the lower tier pledgers.

 

[Captain Shrek]

Fargo is feeding the cash cow.

The cash cow is happy.

 

[Infinitron]

With games sold on CD/DVDs you always have the "check for original disc" copy protection. In most cases it is useless and easily deactivated by crackers, but still.

Actually, I can't remember the last time I bought a game with a disc-check...they're pretty cool about that nowadays. Dump the disc on your HDD and put it back in the box.

 

[Stelcio]

BTW, is there actually ANY valid reason to use DRMs since crackers will crack them just to troll the publishers that they can? And then using crack makes your life easier, so even when you buy a game, you may want to use the crack, making the crack target bigger, therefore increasing seeders rate on torrents. It actually makes pirate community stronger.

The only way I know to discourage crackers from cracking your game is to make it so shitty they won't even bother (i.e. HAWX2).

 

[Morkar Left]

What about serial-keys? You purchase and download the game online and they send you a serial key. It's just like in the good old days when you bought the cd/dvd in the physical store and entered the serial key written on the manual.

There is no need for DRM, they just want DRM.

Btw. gamersgate makes the copyprotection dependend on what the publisher wants to use. There are drm-free games and there are serial-key games available.

 

[Outlander]

*Cue in trailer voice*

The fight of a single man against all odds.

This summer, get ready to witness how evil publishing corporations try to crush a one man's hope and dream. To break free from the chains of oppression.

One man, one destiny.

 

[Norfleet]

Crowdfunded games are bound to either cloud (game as service) or digital distribution platforms. Digital distribution is bound to DRM. Simple. In both cases consumer is fucked, more or less.

There is no rule stating that. It seems to me that it is an entirely viable business model for a developer to derive all of his revenue through crowdfunding, and never actually SELL anything at all. This approach would ALSO entirely eliminate the "piracy" problem, not to mention eliminate the costs of digital distribution. I, for one, am extremely unattracted to the notion of paying both for the game to be made, AND then just to HAVE it (especially since this notion is at odds with my religion).