Developers: No Time For Piracy Prevention On Smartphones

Author: by Staff

As part of a new Gamasutra feature, developers explain that working on antipiracy measures for smartphone games is no longer a relevant concern. "Every moment you spend thinking about piracy is a moment you could have spent doing another app and getting sales. Most people seem to be taking a 'life's too short to worry about it' view," says Adam Martin CEO of Red Glasses, an iPhone studio in the UK that developed the game Star Catcher. Riptide Games (My Pet Zombie) founder Brian Robbins, meanwhile, says piracy has become a "non-issue" thanks to in-app purchases. "We'd rather stick with the freemium side and [release Android games] in a sponsored way, just as we do on iOS." Markus Nigrin, CEO of Windmill Apps (Japanese Garden) says he doesn't fight piracy for three reasons: "Protection mechanisms make your code more complex, which is likely to increase the chance of introducing bugs; you create a challenge for app crackers who will be happy to take it on; and you are fighting a group that may be loud, but in reality is rather small." However, one developer has been able to implement preventative measures he outlines for Gamasutra in the story. Pat Toulouse, president and founder of Ratrod Studio (Hockey Fight Pro), which develops games for iOS, Android, and other platforms, says that he's seen a 15 percent reduction in piracy and explains how. To find out, and to read more of these developers' thoughts, observations, and strategies, see the full feature, Smartphone Piracy: "Life's Too Short To Worry About It," live now on Gamasutra.