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UK trade body TIGA examines how the region's developers view the piracy problem -- most don't consider it a major business threat, and most would rather deal with the issue themselves than leave it to government.

Leigh Alexander, Contributor

November 10, 2009

1 Min Read

Most percent of UK game developers see piracy as a problem -- but the majority of them don't view it as a significant threat to their business survival, says a new study by TIGA, the region's trade body. 60 percent of developers said piracy is a problem; of these, 90 percent believe the problem is "constant or increasing," according to TIGA. But of those surveyed, only 10 percent said the threat level was "high," while 20 percent called it "medium" and 60 percent believe it is "low." (10 percent had no opinion). Moreover, developers have mixed opinions on government plans to address piracy by punishing users' broadband supplies, splitting 50-50 on the approach. Half of the UK developers surveyed said they were considering modifying their business approaches to cope with piracy through methods like digital distribution or business models like subscription services or ad-supported free games. Notably, only 30 percent of developers think DRM is a solution; half consider it "an irrelevance," while 20 percent think it's part of the problem. "The results of the TIGA piracy survey clearly demonstrate that UK developers are taking the initiative when dealing with the issue of piracy, and looking for new ways of delivering content and communicating directly with their consumers," commented TIGA CEO Richard Wilson. "Developers are not complacent in dealing with this problem and are mostly seeking to find solutions for themselves rather than simply relying on the Government to solve the problem of piracy," he added.

About the Author(s)

Leigh Alexander

Contributor

Leigh Alexander is Editor At Large for Gamasutra and the site's former News Director. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Variety, Slate, Paste, Kill Screen, GamePro and numerous other publications. She also blogs regularly about gaming and internet culture at her Sexy Videogameland site. [NOTE: Edited 10/02/2014, this feature-linked bio was outdated.]

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