It seems Spore was the staging point for the SecuROM revolt and the massive amazon 1-star reviews and backlash have not gone on deaf ears. Electronic Arts has opted to leave SecuROM out of The Sims 3, an upcoming release for just that reason.
“We have heard your requests over the past months and here is our plan for The Sims 3,” Sims development head Rod Humble stated on the official website. “The game will have disc-based copy protection – there is a serial code just like The Sims 2. To play the game there will not be any online authentication needed. (casualgaming.biz)
We wonder, did they do this primarily because of the Spore revolt or because the demographic for The Sims is even more casual than that of Spore? Casual gamers expect a casual experience from install to un-install because they don’t want to be hassled with silly copy protection. Or, perhaps casual games like The Sims is less likely to be hacked because it’s not a “hardcore” game?
We’re sticking with the thinking that this is a “good faith” jesture to the gamers for how they “rocked the vote” on the last title as The Sims is one of the best selling series on the PC gaming platform. Lots of sales with lots of fans, why interrupt that momentum with ugly DRM whiplash?
David Braben, founder of Frontier Developments, says retail outlets that buy and sell pre-owned games are “essentially defrauding the industry.” Although multiplayer gaming might not be a huge threat, the single player experience in games may die out because gamers play the game quickly and resell it back to places like GameStop for others to buy.
In 1987, Capcom created a new winner with the Street Fighter series. Knowing the demographic, they went for teenage boys with the desire to play fighting games in the arcade in competitive fashion. But is a good fighting game without some eye candy?
I have no doubt whatsoever that the “Spore” debacle played a huge part in this.
I also never looked at The Sims 2 as “casual gaming” — I had to put a lot of time and effort into keeping the various families from falling apart.
And $200+ worth of expansions seems pretty hardcore to me. ‘;D
(Maybe I should read the FAQ at casualgamerchick.com and see if I’m misunderstanding the meaning of “casual gaming.”)
I have no doubt whatsoever that the “Spore” debacle played a huge part in this.
I also never looked at The Sims 2 as “casual gaming” — I had to put a lot of time and effort into keeping the various families from falling apart.
And $200+ worth of expansions seems pretty hardcore to me. ‘;D
(Maybe I should read the FAQ at casualgamerchick.com and see if I’m misunderstanding the meaning of “casual gaming.”)
I only bought University for The Sims 2. I wanted to get Pets, but I never did.
I only bought University for The Sims 2. I wanted to get Pets, but I never did.