[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Stop Piracy, Release Video Games Worldwide Simultaneously? here

[Maarek]

This is Dumb. StarDock and Steam have the best ideas by making you register online and download their games from the interactive programs like Impulse. Once you register, you cannot create another online account to play with others unless it's a LAN game.
Storylines sell the games, but multiplayer keeps the person playing the game months on end. Counter Strike (free) is still the number 1 FPS game on the internet. Call of Duty is second, while Halo and others fall behind. If they provide updates and expansions (console systems now support expansions: Halo3 for example), than more people will be inclined to keep playing the game and spend half on the expansion than full price on the next release. Also, not everyone's inclined to get the new one for multiplayer purposes.

[ImaPhake]

Maarek,

If you've used Steam (Valve's digital distribution and verification service) then you would know that not even they release their games simultaneoulsy in all regions. There are many titles available through Steam for certain regions which are not available to others. For example, Prey has been out for years and it's on Steam. But if you're in Peru you can't get it through Steam. There are many other titles which suffer the same treatment and for many other regions.

[JcHc3in1]

I have wondered for a while now why games aren't released simultaneously worldwide. It is often done for music, so why not games. I figure it would knock down some of the piracy, obviously not all of it. How much so though, one cannot know.

[ajshurts]

JcHc3in1 said:

I have wondered for a while now why games aren't released simultaneously worldwide. It is often done for music, so why not games. I figure it would knock down some of the piracy, obviously not all of it. How much so though, one cannot know.

I have been in the software industry for almost a decade now and I can tell you that localization takes a LOT of work. All of the production that goes in to the English release is almost doubled when you start adding localization of a product in. It is very time-consuming work and requires an immense amount of resources for translation, voiceovers, quality assurance, manufacturing, and distribution.

This doesn't mean it's not possible, it just means that this would inevitably delay the English release and a revenue stream for the publisher and developer.

[JcHc3in1]

Well, my little response to that would be that obviously there is a market there if said software is being pirated in those countries. Obviously they are not getting the product in their own language but still want it. Just a thought.