87% of UK developers say adapting business model is best way to deal with piracy
TIGA, the trade association representing the videogame industry, has announced the findings of its 2013 piracy survey, asking its members for their view of the issue. The snapshot survey demonstrates that UK game developers are taking a constructive and innovative approach to dealing with the challenge of piracy.
The findings reveal that UK developers and digital publishers overwhelmingly favour the adoption of new business models to minimise the problem of piracy, with 87% of respondents preferring this approach compared to only 10% feeling stricter enforcement of intellectual property rights is the way forward. 40% of those surveyed still felt that educating consumers against piracy was important, showing that whilst the majority would rather innovate around the problem, many still see value in raising awareness of piracy and its effects on UK businesses.
Piracy is clearly having an effect, with 57% of respondents saying it is a problem for their business. In spite of this, 73% of developers disagreed that people who persist in illegally swapping copyrighted files of films, music and games on the internet should have their internet connection slowed down and ultimately severed, even if they ignore warning letters to stop.
With regard to piracy trends, 73% of those surveyed said it was staying at a constant level, with 40% of respondents saying they still expected it to be a threat to their business in five years’ time. The fact that 37% felt it would not, is indicative of the confidence many developers have in the free to play (F2P) business model and their ability to make it work for their games.
67% of respondents to TIGA’s 2013 piracy survey also reported that piracy is higher on Android smartphones than on other handsets such as the iPhone, with only 7% saying it was not. Comments from survey participants also indicated that whilst piracy is higher on Android, and it is a serious issue, the sheer size of the Android user base means it is still well worth releasing games on the platform.
Respondents also noted the majority of players do not know how to pirate games or indeed install copied games, and even those who do play pirated games can act as vocal evangelists of your game, which is most beneficial for games with a multi-platform release strategy.
Whilst 57% of those surveyed said their business had not had any successful experiences of reducing piracy, the vast majority of comments from respondents showed they had not attempted to contact those sites offering pirated versions of their work. This was due to the time constraints of running a development or digital publishing business, as well as doubts as to the effectiveness of such efforts. However, for those that did, it seems as if they had a 50/50 chance of the content in question being removed. This indicates individual businesses spending a little more time to directly address the issue of piracy may be more worthwhile than previously thought.
Another measure some respondents noted as effective, in addition to the general security of in-app purchases, is to require online security checks for game apps every few days, limiting the time pirated games can be played for.
Dr Richard Wilson, CEO, TIGA, comments:
“Piracy can be a challenge for many games developers and digital publishers. Piracy of video games appears to be particularly acute on the Android platform.
“TIGA’s survey shows that many games businesses continue to find the most effective response to the problem of piracy is to adopt new business models, such as subscription based services and free to play games.
“UK developers are taking the initiative to deal with the issue of piracy and are looking for new ways of delivering content and communicating directly with their consumers. This is testament to the generally pragmatic and innovative approach of the UK video game industry.”
Jason Kingsley OBE, TIGA Chairman and CEO & Creative Director of Rebellion added:
“TIGA’s findings are encouraging, because although the issue of piracy is one that continues to threaten UK game developers and digital publishers, it’s also an issue our industry is responding to positively and creatively. It’s good to see so many UK games businesses looking to innovate their way around the challenge of piracy.”
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Notes to editors:
About TIGA
TIGA is the trade association representing the video game industry. We help developers and digital publishers build successful studios, network with the right people, save money and access professional business advice.
We also have outsourcing companies, technology businesses and universities amongst our membership. Since 2010, TIGA has won 16 business awards.
TIGA focuses on three sets of activities:
· Political representation
· Media representation
· Business services
This enhances the competitiveness of our members by providing benefits that make a material difference to their businesses, including a reduction in costs and improved commercial opportunities.
It also means our members’ voices are heard in the corridors of power and positively represented in national, broadcast and UK video game trade media.
Get in touch:
Tel: 0845 468 2330
Email: info@tiga.org
Web: www.tiga.org
Twitter: @TIGAMovement
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TIGAMovement
LinkedIn: TIGA Page
For further information, you can also contact:
Dr. Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO on: 07875 939 643, or email: richard.wilson@tiga.org
Drew Field, TIGA Communications Director on: 07720 643 344, or email: drew.field@tiga.org