Here's a novel idea: When Chilean independent game developer ACE Team saw its latest game, Zeno Clash, appear on torrent sites, the team made a simple appeal to downloaders instead of getting angry or offering threats.
"Zeno Clash is an independently funded game by a very small and sacrificed group of people," Carlos Bordeu wrote. "The only way in which we can continue making games like this (or a sequel) is to have good sales."
Bordeu apologized for not having a demo available and promised to offer one soon. "We cannot do anything to stop piracy of the game (and honestly don’t intend to do so) but if you are downloading because you wish to try before you buy, I would ask that you purchase the game (and support the independent game development scene) if you enjoy it," he continued. "We plan on updating Zeno Clash with DLC and continuing support for the game long after it’s [sic] release."
The result of these comments isn't easily quantified, but in an interview with Ars Technica, Bordeu said the response has been positive. He received several e-mails and read posts on ACE Team's forums from people who had downloaded the game and decided to purchase it because of the message.
Bordeu doesn't entirely believe that people download games illegally just to try before they buy, but he figures piracy can't be policed, so he might as well try to appeal to the conscience.
Obviously, there's a limit to who can make these kinds of direct comments. Small development groups can drive home the idea that they've invested their lives into a project and need every last sale to keep making games, but hat argument certainly won't fly with a major publisher such as Electronic Arts, or even a large indie studio such as GarageGames.
For those whose interest is piqued now, Zeno Clash is a first-person fighting game featuring bizarre locations and characters. It's available (legally) for PC through Steam and Direct2Drive.
