In den USA führt Sins of a Solar Empire, nach zwei Wochen auf Platz 2, nun die Verkaufsliste der PC-Spiele in Nord-Amerika an, noch vor kommerziellen Schwergewichten wie Call of Duty 4 oder The Orange Box. Das Interessante: SoaSE hat keinen Kopierschutz, ist also den Spielern und munterem Kopieren eigentlich ausgeliefert. Es wird gekauft weil die Spieler es für richtig halten und kaufen wollen.

Was hatten die Entwickler vor kurzem in einem Interview zu dem Thema zu sagen?

"We've seen it, we were following it. People torrent it, they play it and they buy it - and we receive emails from people in some of the worst spots for piracy in the world saying that they've payed the equivalent of $165 to get the game. I think people have come to the conclusion that the game is worth supporting."

"I get the sense from some of the feedback that we've received that some purchasing decisions have hinged on our choice not to use DRM. That was a deciding factor in their ultimate decision to buy it. We may lose some sales to piracy, but I think our very fair stand on DRM and an end users right to a secure, hassle free experience has brought in as many new customers as those who have chosen to pirate it."

"We've received emails from people who have said "I don't know much about your game, but I'm buying it because I like your policy on DRM."

"There are people out there who are so anti-DRM that they're purchasing our game based on supporting the principle. It makes me feel proud that we're able to move in that direction"

Industry, wake up and smell the coffee. Interessanterweise spiegelt diese Erfahrung die Erlebnisse eines anderen Indie-Entwicklers im selben Genre wieder: Stardock mit Galactic Civilizations 2.