This War of Mine developer, 11 Bit Studios, has appeared in the comments section of a This War of Mine torrent on Pirate Bay.
This War of Mine has been enjoying huge success on Steam, currently rated as one of the most popular games on the platform. Unfortunately for 11bit, that popularity has also attracted a large degree of piracy; but far from letting it get them down, 11bit is taking the glass-half-full approach.
Instead of saying anything judgmental or harsh, they offered Steam codes instead. “If because of some reasons you can’t buy the game, its ok,” PR and Marketing Manager Karol Zajaczkowski wrote. “We know life, and we know that sometimes it’s just not possible [to buy what you want to play]. Here are some codes for the steam copy of the game, so some of you can take a look at it. And if you like the game after spending few hours in, then just spread the word, and you’ll help us a lot.”
Beyond the initial posting, Zajaczkowski has gone on to post “Thanks for all the support guys, it really means a lot to the whole dev team, not only me. After all, we are all gamers and I’m happy to see, that this idea can unite people, no matter whom they are.”
The response within the comments was largely positive, with many commenters going on to say they’ve bought the game, will buy the game, or bought copies for their friends, with additional promises to write Steam reviews or encourage others to buy the game themselves. Perhaps because although its not entirely unheard of, it’s not often that developers have a public, generally positive response to pirates. Many will alter the game in some revealing way. So showing kindness in the face of what some may argue is outright theft is an unexpected approach, but one that apparently works well if the comments are any indication.
Love it or hate it, piracy is part of the PC gaming landscape, and for as long as there are torrents circulating, there will be people accessing and downloading them. In the face of that, a generally open and honest passion for games and desire to share them however the case may be tends to resonate well with the community. Given that the general response to This War of Mine has already been overwhelming positive, this is likely to result in even more positivity for the title.
Our review of This War of Mine should be ready within the next week or two, once we’ve got through the immense pile of stuff resulting from the seasonal rush.
Taylor Hidalgo
@NukeLassic
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