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Tartle Games6 years ago (1 edit) (+2)

There are some creators not uploading quality games on itch because there is no easy DRM protection. If you ever wondered why an indie developer wouldn't post a game on itch and would on steam, this is probably a big consideration the developer went through. I've seen some developers doing what DireBoarGames mentioned as well, uploading the early access version but when the game is complete they are removing the game from itch. This kind of sucks for itch and its users and the developers.

I am sure I don't need to go on a long rant about DRM, but some of us developers would like an easy option for it whether it makes us friends or not :\

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leafoAdmin6 years ago(+7)

Based on the developers we've talked to, DRM generally isn't the limiting reason. The default DRM added to Steam is easily cracked from what I'm aware of, and once your game is cracked there's no much you can do to prevent illegal distribution. DRM makes it harder for legitimate players to run your game, and generally doesn't stop pirates. There are other DRM free sites that do quite well which backs up this observation.

I think part of the reason why people remove their game after they've run a beta is that they want to consolidate how they distribute their game. Each new platform they distribute on is a slight overhead in terms of keeping things updated. Many developers don't have the extra resources to maintain pages on alternative platforms. We're trying to combat this by making things as easy as possible.

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Tartle Games6 years ago (1 edit) (+2)

You have made it easy, and it does add more work to distribute to multiple platforms and portals.

Here are my thoughts. I know they are not requested. So read, don't read, whatever.

I agree that many forms of DRM make it harder for legit users to play the game, and this is one of the ironic reasons itch could benefit from integrating a user friendly system. One of the reasons that pirated games thrive is the convenience (especially when you don't have to pay for it). But a good DRM backed system can be convenient too. There is added value to an online platform that organizes your games, gives you access to them on any computer once logged in, promises to help protect you against malware. It's one of the reasons I'd rather buy a game off an online platform and have it in my library then go back to the old way of having a scratched up disk with my key written on the top in marker.

But even with all that, there are arguments against it. I've heard them. I've even made them myself, before I started creating my own projects and learned how hard it is. I was never into downloading torrented games, but I've had a number of games that I bought that I couldn't play because the DRM broke and that really made me mad. I've also played new games that require a constant internet connection even when playing offline, and that also made me mad.

There will still be DRM cracked games out there. With a convenient system there is one place it can help developers, even if the game is already out there illegally. Not all users are inclined to steal. Sometimes one friend wants to play a game with another friend, and it's in that moment there are 3 choices the friends have.

1) buy the game

2) bit torrent download the game

3) pass the game on a USB drive


It is a battle against convenience. I think most would like to support the creators they like, but it is just too convenient to pass it over on that USB.

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martin.svoboda6 years ago(+3)

Hello. I must agree with Tartle games. If i cannot get any DRM via your api i will not upload my game. With no DRM i can place it on fileshare myself.  DRM will not stop piracy but at least someone has to decompile exe file first and not every kid can do that.

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dos6 years ago(+6)

Place it on a fileshare yourself then ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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