EA CEO: "99.8 percent of consumers" don't notice DRM

Posted Oct 14th 2008 6:30PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Biz, RTS, Sandbox, Simulation, Strategy, Spore

As we reported earlier today, Electronic Arts' Spore has remained at or near the top of the retail best seller charts for PC games since its release in early September. However, it's use of a DRM set-up caused a massive backlash against the game, which EA tried to respond to.

Today, EA's CEO John Riccitiello said that the DRM controversy was generated by a tiny amount of the game's users. News.com reports that Riccitiello, speaking at the Media & Money Conference in New York City, said that while he himself is not a fan of DRM, he implied that at the moment there's no better way to keep Spore and other PC games away from PC software pirates. "We chose a particularly aggressive form of DRM, which 99.8 percent of consumers would never notice, but that two-tenths of one percent got incredibly focused and formed an online PR cabal," he claimed. "We can eliminate piracy by essentially blocking the online service from the pirate. That's the future of DRM. The present of DRM isn't quite there yet."

Riccitiello also said he saw Spore's user created creatures and structures as the future of games, saying, ""Spore is probably the industry's first big step in that direction, and I would encourage you to look out for The Sims 3, which comes out this spring and which is another big step in that direction."

Gallery: Spore

Tags: ea, electronic-arts, spore, the-sims-3, will-wright

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

99.8 percent of statements that start with "99.8 percent of " are not true.Posted at 8:53PM on Oct 14th 2008 by mko

I really dont notice DRM. I dont tend to install my games 3 times in a row.Posted at 9:11PM on Oct 14th 2008 by Erik Stroud

That's what makes DRM so slimy, you douchebag. People aren't aware of it until it bites them in the ass.

EA is hoping that when their customers' games stop working in a few years because the authentication server was shut off, those customer's will assume something is wrong with their copy/computer and purchase "Spore: Special Anniversary Edition".

The anticonsumer mindset of securom and the response to criticism by EA is astounding. Our society invented a device to deal with people like this - it's called the gallows. EA's staff deserves to be made an example out of - installing secret programs on my machines with no option to uninstall, no warning before installation, no notification of its inclusion before purchase, and all for the purpose of forcing customers to repurchase the game whenever EA decides to pull the plug on the authentication server (or decide you're a pirate - if they accuse you, how can you prove you're not?). It is a gross insult that these people aren't in jail.

"But we need to stop the pirates!" - Yeah, we do. Maybe we should try something that works and DOESN'T punish legitimate buyers! Pirates were playing Spore a week before the game was released, yet the people who went out and paid the money for the game were the ones punished with "copy protection".

EA is using piracy as an excuse to gouge their loyal customers. They don't care that DRM does nothing to stop piracy, they just want to control your legally purchased game. EA themselves have said that they plan to transition PC gaming to a strictly pay-to-play system. Securom makes this a reality, even if you don't notice it quite yet. When your bought copy of Spore doesn't work in a few years, and EA tells you "Oh well, go buy Spore 2", don't come complaining to me. I'm talking to you, Erik Stroud. People like you are the reason these assholes can get away with this shit. I hope securom kills your system and you lose everything - you obviously need to learn a lesson.Posted at 10:28PM on Oct 14th 2008 by OpNickC

So I happen to be unlucky enough to be in the 0.2%? I guess I should feel free to pirate all of EA's games then, because there's no way such a small percentage of people will have an impact upon overall sales.Posted at 11:44PM on Oct 14th 2008 by paralipsis

What planet is this guy living on?

He implied theres no better way of keeping Spore out of the hands of pirates?

Spore was in the hands of pirates before the hands of real consumers.

DRM does absolutely nothing, that is to say not a damn thing to stop pirates. It doesn't. Pirates rip apart the DRM faster then you can say, "Arrrgh". The people who suffer, are the honest customers. If EAs CEO can't see that by now, then apparently we are going to have to wait untill some one takes the issue up in court. Oh yeah, that already happened.

Then I guess we will have no choice to wait untill they are charged with infringing upon property rights. Its bound to happen in some territory. Imagine a world where I bought a swing set, and I could only set it up 3 times. If I reset it up more then 3 times, it fell apart. Not because it broke. But because the people that made it, put a device inside, so that what i've bought can only be set up 3 times.

Honest to god. EA, and all these other dumb publishers still insisting in using DRM, better wise up. Because soon, somebody is going to realize what a slam duck of a case they have against you. No judge, in any country, or any region would rule DRM is anything but an infringement of a right. Because it would set a dangerous precedent, that no one wants to be responsible for. Posted at 1:30AM on Oct 15th 2008 by Ghostbuddy

Totally agree OpNicC. I've lost count how many times I've installed certain classic games either because I've finished it and uninstalled it and a year later feel like playing it again, or I've changed my PC, or I've loaded it onto my laptop so I can play it when I travel away...

I buy ALL my games and I find EA's attitude ABSOLUTELY INSULTING. I have made a conscious decision to not buy any game by EA out of principal and I encourage everyone else to do the same, it's the only way these people will learn...and I will never touch a pay to play game (which you are therefore effectively continuously renting and never actually own).

So what if there's a game by EA I want to play, there are also plenty of OTHER game NOT by EA that I want to play, so I'll play those instead...

I have a couple of friends who torrent all their games and as yet there has been nothing that they haven't been able to get hold of - DRM does NOTHING except punish the legitimate buyer! Pirates will always pirate games, legitimate buyers with always buy their games...unless people like EA start mucking us about.

Stardock have the right attitude to the consumer and DRM. They have no DRM or copy protection and factor in pirating when they set the budget for the game's development. They also MAKE SURE that their games will run of the widest number of systems possible rather than only those with swanky top notch systems to not reduce their customer base.

If EA's actions are doing anything at all it's to make me think about pirating all their games so I don't have to deal with their DRM.Posted at 10:12AM on Oct 15th 2008 by M Palmer