1. What, if any, benefits are there for you as a publisher for putting DRM on your PC titles? It couldn't possibly be to stop the pirates. In your response to an earlier thread about DMC4 PC's sales numbers, you mentioned that, on the day it was released, it was pirated quite significantly. Was there someone in your decision-making staff that honestly though "This time it'll stop them!". This leads me to my next question...

The objective or goal of DRM is indeed to stop or at least slow down pirates, particularly around the launch window. Indeed, DMC4's implimentation was less than ideal and clearly, we failed that goal. BCR's was better (and different from DMC4's) and was effective for several weeks. That was significantly better than any other PC title we've shipped. New steps we're taking (the details of which I can't discuss right now) should be even more effective, while still remaining transparent to legitimate users.

2. Do you think of your 3 primary PC releases (Lost Planet, Lost Planet CE, and DMC4)  that you would have sold fewer copies if there were no DRM or copy protection at all (outside of a Games for Windows:Live! access key). If the answer is yes, what customer base are you concerned about losing sales to?

Slightly fewer, though again, these games disc-based implimentations were easily removed because DRM wasn't a high priority in the development. They were more of a last minute effort meant to appease the business types like me and retail. A more secure implimentation would have pushed some percentage of folks who needed the game "then and there" to purchase in the absence of an illegitimate supply.

If we converted even 3%-4% of copies pirated in the first two months on sale, it'd be a meaningful boost in revenue on each of these titles. The numbers are really that high.

3. As part of the PC Gaming Alliance, do you hear word of any initiatives and/or plans regarding DRM in PC gaming?

There is a sub-committee on piracy issues within the PCGA really just getting underway and I will be an active member of it. Are there plans on that front? Brewing, but nothing I can discuss right now. It's too early and we're still gathering more members from the software side of the PC gaming world. If there are more publishers/developers who'd like to have a voice on how the PCGA will address piracy, now would be a great time to get involved.

Standing from the outside looking in, it really looks like PC game publishers in general are completely out of touch with what's actually going on in the real world. Everyone keeps slapping on CD-check service in their games like they really think it's stopping people who would pirate the game anyway.

I agree, CD checks are fairly lightweight, and relatively easily removed for anything other than a deep implimentation. There are a few new disc-based technologies on the market that at least for the moment, are showing promise though for those who wish to stay with that format. Truth be told, I would much prefer wholly network authenticated solutions (as we've used on Bionic Commando Rearmed and future titles from CEI) so people don't have to have a disc in the drive. As a player, I hate that and that's part of the reason why I love digital distribution so much. 

At the same time, there are some territories (Eastern Europe, Russia, Southern Europe, specifically) whose retail channels have major concerns over online or broadband penetration rates for network authentication, that often necessitate some form of fallback in the form of disc-based protection. Frankly, I personally don't understand how anyone could have a high end GeForce or ATI equipped multicore PC in any country and not have it connected to the Internet, but the retail realities (or at least, retail's perception of reality)  for the moment still put some pressure on keeping disc-based protection.

Again, if your goal is to preserve the first couple weeks of sales, or at least put in a speedbump (and if you're retail, that's what you really want), you have to do something.

You must have heard all the success Sins of a Solar empire is having. Sales of that game are still skyrocketing, and it has no copy protection or DRM whatsoever.

Indeed, it's nice when an exception to the rule is rewarded. That said, I'm not sure Sins' success doesn't mean normal rules don't still apply. I'd also suggest that patches that check for validity and multiplayer codes are in fact,  forms of DRM... so saying that it has no DRM isn't quite accurate. Let's just say, it has a slightly different form of DRM (perhaps more elegantly designed) rather than encryption, tripwires or authentication upon installation.

In a nutshell, I think it's fair to say there are some relatively bulletproof technical solutions out there. I'm not saying they can't be cracked but in some cases they haven't yet and they're dynamic enough as to put up some real roadblocks for pirates. Hurray! Problem solved right? Nope. The problem is, that they're effectively rootkits and are onerous for consumers (not to mention potentially fraught with support issues... maybe even legal issues). In some cases, they're so onerous that we'd never put our consumers through that.

So if that's one end of the spectrum and at the other end, there's no protection, somewhere on that continuum is where an "optimal" solution exists. Optimal for whom and where you draw that line will inevitably vary from publisher to publisher. I'd like to think that we  will be clear in our DRM specifics by title and that they will be less restrictive than some publishers (even those with more PC experience than we have). For example on Bionic Commando Rearmed we allowed five installs and no phoning home, as opposed to some other publishers that are in the 2-3 range with relatively frequent phone home checks.

In any event, your questions are good and valid. I can understand the confusion in the current climate. There are no easy answers and I think we're all still searching for some silver bullets.

I bought spore
and it didnt affect me anywa.

Oh and I would like you to the crack site but id rather explain as it will break the rules..

There is this site dedicated to hold no-CD cracks (illegal really) and for Spore it will not hold anything but only trainers because spore doesnt need the Disc once you have activated the game..

That being said is that they should also do things like that where you do not need the Disc and activate the game under that CDkey for that user...

Im not sure if i can add a user for it on my PC like my GF but yeah it helps a lot me i mainly get cracks for no-cd for my games i own so that I do not have to use the CD/DVD.

Oh and about having a Kick ass PC and not hooking it up to the net there is one reason for that

Cannot afford it. I know the games industry doesnt aim its market at Africa but the internet connections here is bad or just too expensive

I pau 69 US $ a month for a 4MB line (local runs at 4MB international lets say to LA USA goes like 1.5MB) and a 3 GIG Cap (means i can only brows play and Download 3 gigs for the month and no more unless i Pay more)

that said Digital Distribution in South Africa for me would hurt me heavly..but in EU and USA and Prob Asia no prob.

I wont blame the gaming industry for that i blame the telkom running our dam lines so slow.and over charging us

I have no problem with Steam. I also didn't want this thread to go this direction. I created this thread for two reasons.

1. To gain insight from a successful, large company involved in the business.

2. To share ideas and information in a respectful manner.

If this is to become a place to flame DRM practices, and worse, the companies that are involved, then it may be best if the thread is not allowed to continue.

That's real classy, deleting my post on the evils of Steam and Spore's DRM. 

My post was deleted because I was right, and you know it.

You may have your censorship at your disposal at this BBS, but you can't control all of the internet.

This is what I don't understand about you.  People on this board always make posts that could be construed as pointless, repetitive, or vitriolic.  Just look around this board.  You'll see plenty of harsh opinions towards console manufacturers, games, or gamers.  Yet, you decide to single me out, not to make an example out of me, but because lets face it, your company has to maintain a decent relationship with your digital distributing company.  This is ironic, because your company is even more dependent on the console manufacturers, which get much more negativity directed towards them on this board, than towards your digital distributor.

You may consider the post repetitive, but I don't.  I made sure to add in that Spore has a maximum installation of three times so that people that are reading this thread will realize the control that the DRM is exerting before they will decide whether or not to purchase the game.

As a high-ranking employee of Capcom, you should take this as an opportunity to understand where gamers are coming from, and to come up with new ideas that can best serve your company and your customers.  Because as it is, DRM is enough disincentive for gamers to not buy games.  Find a way to minimize the Big Brother-like behaviour, and give gamers more reason to buy the actual game.