CD Projekt: Publishers are scared to go DRM-free

CD Projekt, the publisher behind The Witcher, reckons that many other large publishers are too scared to stop using DRM and that the only real way to stop piracy is to offer greater value retail products.

CD Projekt has recently re-released The Witcher in a new collected and enhanced edition.

It's obviously the route that CD Projekt prefers as the company has just re-released it's game The Witcher with a new enhanced addition. The new release includes extra missions, a game editor, two CD soundtracks, a short story based on the game and a full strategy guide for the title. The company has also recently launched GOG, a web portal which is to be used for distributing classic PC games such as Fallout.

"We're trying to convince publishers there is nothing to be afraid of," said company CEO Michal Kicinski to GamesIndustry.biz.

"DRM-free, that is something they are really scared of, but on the other hand we can say 'all of those games are available pirated widely so it's better to sell them for small money than make the customer's life difficult and get some more revenues'."

Specifically Kicinski is directing his comments to EA, who have recieved a huge backlash from the community for the use of DRM in games such as Spore.

"It's the same with buying music online with DRM, Amazon has decided not to provide it with DRM, iTunes is doing this iTunes plus. DRM makes customer's lives too complicated, and this is usually because of some corporate ideas, policies and trying to be smart, too smart, in how to get customers and how to keep them and no let them go somewhere else. We are believers in the free market and bringing freedom to customers."

"Piracy in Poland is always much, much bigger here than in Western countries so we got used to living with piracy and we grew up in a surrounding where there was no help from governments to actually fight piracy," he said. "So we had to learn to compete with pirates"

"For example we believe that GOG.com makes such a good offer that it's not worth pirating... We attract people to buy the original games instead of pirating them and that's the most efficient way of fighting piracy."