Cousens: Forget DRM we should adopt a shareware model
Unfinished games are the way forward
Codemasters head Rod Cousens has provided a curious alternative to using intrusive DRM systems to protect against piracy.
Cousens told CVG that he believes that there is an alternative to fiddly DRM systems - chiefly to sell smaller chunks of games as boxed products and offer the rest of the game as DLC for those that want the complete experience.
This follows the shareware model of the the early nineties where developers distributed a free episode of their games on magazine coverdisks and on the internet and those that enjoyed the game could buy the other episodes of the game if they enjoyed the free part.
Cousens said: "My answer is for us as publishers is to actually sell unfinished games - and to offer the consumer multiple micro-payments to buy elements of the full experience. That would create an offering that is affordable at retail - but over a period of time may also generate more revenue for the publishers to reinvest in our games."
The Codemasters CEO added that the industry needs to be much more creative in addressing piracy in order to avoid falling into the same hole the musci industry is currently in.
