Since gaming has existed, there have always been people who do not want to pay for games. Developers have always struggled against pirates and crackers, sometimes with simple copy protection, but also with very creative solutions. Thus, the head of Cricket 22 has decided to troll the pirates.
This is how the CEO trolls the pirates: Normally, copy protection serves to keep pirates out and deny them a game. However, Cricket 22 does it differently: here, they let the pirates in and then troll them with apparent “bugs”.
These lead to digital pirates seeing a white screen between matches. Symons dismissed complaints about this “bug” by advising people to simply buy his game. Then it would go away.
Ross Symons, the CEO of the company behind Cricket 22, promises on Twitter even more surprises for pirates that will be coming in the next few weeks. Among them:
- 100% loss on a coin toss
- automatic disconnection from the controller with a message that the battery is empty
- endless rain
Heavy rain leads to canceled games in cricket, and that is exactly what is supposed to happen in Cricket 22. As soon as the players are up, heavy rain starts, which continues until the game is over.
He has a whole range of things he could do to the pirates. The mere fact that some players complain about the “bugs” makes them out themselves as pirates. The CEO says that pursuing this path is also the right decision for him.
Are you not familiar with the term “software pirate”? Then you might need some tuition with 14 terms that every gamer should know:
300% increase in sales since the protection is active
Is it worth it for the developer? According to Symmons, sales on Steam have increased by 300% since he activated the protection. His philosophy: excluding pirates from the start is a lost sale.
However, letting them play and then encouraging them to buy can convince them. He even offers people to keep their progress if they switch from a pirated to a legal version.
This is what players are saying: On Twitter, there is considerable backlash. Many people are complaining that the developers should give them access to the game. They might not have money, and pirated copies are their only way to play.
Others support the approach. Creative solutions are better than plain bans, and a few laughs at the expense of the pirates provide entertainment.
On Steam, the game is doing well. With 72% positive reviews overall and even 95% recently, the game is mostly very positive (via Steam). Cricket 22 has an average of 150 players (via steamcharts.com), not a huge number of fans on Steam, but at least it has a player base.
Creative copy protection – always a part of gaming
Cricket 22 is not the first game with a creative protection against piracy. There have been ideas in the past like wheels that you had to decode to even install the corresponding game. But this was quickly bypassed as well.
Some developers therefore relied on more clever solutions. Among the most curious are:
- Alan Wake: The protagonist wears an eye patch with Jolly Roger in a pirated version
- The Witcher 2: In all sex scenes, Triss and Co. are replaced by old grandmothers
- Serious Sam 3: An invincible giant scorpion spawns after a while and chases you through every level
Particularly nasty is the game Earthbound by Nintendo. Here, pirates can seemingly play normally, there are just harder random encounters. However, when defeating the final boss, the game simply crashes and deletes the save file.
By the way, it is not just developers who troll pirates. There are also some clever “cheat” developers who ensure that nasty cheaters are punished in an extremely satisfying way:
