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See the original image at arstechnica.com —

Capcom struggles with piracy, DRM, and low PC sales of DMCIV

arstechnica.com — A Capcom executive speaks candidly about digital distribution, DRM, and action games on the PC when dealing with low sales of its PC Devil May Cry IV port.

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  • TotalHalibut, on 08/03/2008, -2/+124Is anyone honestly surprised at the poor performance? The PC version of DMC3 was an atrocious port, as was Resident Evil 4, which didn't even come with mouse-support natively. The sheer laziness of Capcom when it comes to PC never ceases to amaze me and doesn't exactly put them in much of a position of respect and trust among PC gamers. After those two travesties, I wouldn't risk buying their game either.
    • mattyice11, on 08/04/2008, -1/+19DMC4 is a great port though - optimized well and definitely the best version of the game, even if it was 5 months late.
      • thePTS, on 08/04/2008, -0/+12This is the PC, people here now are almost exclusively multiplayers, and expect flawless products full of features. "Good" isn't good enough. (Console will also be like this in a few years)

        Remember how UT3 for PS3 got a higher review rating than the PC version, despite being the same game, but drastically reduced in quality and features?

        When a game gets higher "try-numbers" than "buy-numbers", there's always a reason for it.
      • pronouncable, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3It really wasn't any problem from the port's point of view though. DMC4 for the PC was straight up an improvement to the point of redemption and the fact that the quality was up this time and it still struggled only serves to prove that they have a legitimate concern for piracy as, looking around, it's a pretty popular file on torrent sites.
      • dougmc, on 08/04/2008, -1/+7> This is the PC, people here now are almost exclusively multiplayers

        Not true. Granted, lots of PC gamers play multiplayer games, but the PC is nowhere near `exclusively multiplayer'. It's not all WoW and Team Fortress, you know.

        PC Gamers certainly don't expect `flawless products full of features'. Sure, it would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath. The closest I've seen a game come to that was Portal -- and it was an anomaly. (Well, not from Valve, they've been putting out great stuff for a while now. But Portal was good even for them. And yet what made it great wasn't `flawlessness' or `features' -- it was the sum of the parts I guess.)

        But sure, a game that crashes every 15 minutes will suck, no matter how great the game is otherwise. As for features. who cares? The only feature I really care about is `fun' -- and that's probably not something that will be listed in a features list.
      • thePTS, on 08/04/2008, -1/+2@pronouncable:

        probably true, but have you seen what PC gamers demand nowadays? If the game doesn't come with a full development suite, paid tournaments and servers, and tightly wrapped multiplayer action that improves on every single part of the physics from the prequel, then the game is considered "horrible". Not joking ;P

        Consolegames are usually extremely simple, to "just improve" going from console is not even slightly good enough.

        >as, looking around, it's a pretty popular file on torrent sites

        probably people who own DMC4 for console and want to see how it works on the PC, or PC-gamers who have heard about DMC, but haven't tried the series yet (like me).
      • Arramol, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1"probably true, but have you seen what PC gamers demand nowadays? If the game doesn't come with a full development suite, paid tournaments and servers, and tightly wrapped multiplayer action that improves on every single part of the physics from the prequel, then the game is considered "horrible". Not joking ;P"

        I'm sure there are some who do, but that's not representative of the entire community. Take a look at the responses that come up any time someone requests multiplayer in the next Elder Scrolls game, for example - they always get shouted down by people who want absolutely all of Bethesda's attention going to the single player game.
      • dukeochutney, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1controls were retarded. i had to buy a usb receiver for 360 controller to even attempt that game.
    • thePTS, on 08/04/2008, -2/+13Exactly. A bad habit in the entertainment industry nowadays, to blame piracy every time their products fail. Then how do Blizzard and Valve still make millions?

      It's quite incredible that these people, who should be the most cynical and realistic capitalists around, can allow themselves to stoop to whining rather than find the correct cause.
      • reed311, on 08/04/2008, -1/+5That's funny that you use Blizzard as an example, since they make a large portion of their money from subscription fees. You really can't pirate a subscription fee. Sure, you can play on a pirated server but it's just not the same.
      • thePTS, on 08/04/2008, -0/+4@reed311

        "That's funny that you use Blizzard as an example, since they make a large portion of their money from subscription fees."

        1) Wrong. Blizzard have made most of their money from selling copies upon copies of SC, WC3, Diablo II, etc. Many who still hold games sales records, and none of these being subscription-dependent. Right enough, the multiplayer is dependent on a valid key.

        2) Even if that was true, wouldn't that be a hint to game developers to start developing in ways that actually work (in this case, subscription), rather than try to develop on a dead concept? The internet should be seen as an "ether" where digital codes WILL multiply and copy, rather than trying to blame the individuals and control the anonymous masses.
      • dougmc, on 08/04/2008, -0/+5Blizzard and Valve make millions because they make games that are better than most of what's out there, and have the marketing behind them to push them.

        EA made millions on the Sims alone because while the game was good (not awesome, but very solid), it filled a niche that had been mostly unfilled until then. (And how many expansion packs did they put out? They milked that baby for all it was worth! The Sims 2 was more of the same, their MMO version of the Sims didn't do so hot, however.)

        The whole `piracy' angle never held much weight with me. Sure, people will pirate the game, but most of them probably wouldn't have bought it anyways. Valve and Blizzard do have an advantage in the piracy department, however -- Steam games are hard to pirate, and MMORPG games are extremely hard to pirate. But the Sims didn't have these complications -- and yet EA still made millions on it.

        Ultimately, it looks like the way to make money on a game is to 1) make a great game, and 2) market it effectively. If you only do one of these, you might make some money, but nowhere near as much as if you'd done both.
      • MetalCharms, on 08/04/2008, -2/+1Steam games aren't hard to pirate. I had Portal the day after it came out. ;)
    • deweyhewson, on 08/04/2008, -0/+6Fortunately, though, you can "fix" the terrible port of Resident Evil 4 yourself:

      http://digg.com/pc_games/Resident_Evil_4_PC_Make_I ...
      • ELCad, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1Good point, but it still didn't help much.
    • seavers, on 08/04/2008, -1/+8But DMC4 is a great port :/
      • lamiaconfitor, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3True, I was happy to buy it the weekend after it came out, and did not regret it.
    • gothsquirrel, on 08/04/2008, -1/+1Also to add I have Resident Evil 4 and Lost Planet by them and they are barely playable with all the settings turned down so they should either make the pc games work or just quit making then. I consider the games I've bought for pc by them a waste of money
    • lamiaconfitor, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3Yeah, they let us down so often in the past, and where the hell are they getting accurate statistics on piracy? Them and Sega too. Most of the industry sucks at giving PC games lately though... I think the big thing that hurts PC sales, is that we have to wait so damned long, that either we stop caring or just give in and buy the console version.
    • aterimperator, on 08/04/2008, -1/+4Adding to all of this poor marketing. I don't own a playstation but I knew when DMCIV came out. I do own a PC and have always wanted to try a DMC game, and I had absolutely no idea there was a port available for PC. How do they expect sales when people like me have no idea that they have a PC version?
      • BevansDesign, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3Agreed. I had no idea that any of their games were ported to PC. But then again, if I wanted to play console games, I'd buy a console.
      • MetalCharms, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1I was in Walmart last night and did a double take when I saw DMC4 on the shelf for PC. I had no idea there was one. When did they release it?
    • Georgy, on 08/04/2008, -2/+2Here we go again, every time theres a story about sales being low its always bad content.
      Don't kid yourselves DMC IV wasnt the best game in the world but it was good and we all know that if it wasn't for piracy it would atleast be a million seller.
      I don't get why we always spout this BS about the games being crappy.

      On another note, i just played through mass effect with absolutely no problems, upon browsing the ME forums it would seem that the game is riddled with bugs and on reading TFA its pretty obvious that a lot of folks pirating their games.
    • Dracusis, on 08/05/2008, -0/+11) Avoid fail by releasing the PC version AT THE SAME TIME as the console version.
      2) Win.
  • thrillki1l, on 08/03/2008, -3/+25did they even port the first 3? why would i want to start on 4?
    • TotalHalibut, on 08/03/2008, -2/+18They ported 3, and it wasn't too good at all.
    • tehjabba, on 08/05/2008, -0/+0Why would a PC gamer want to play an overtly console game like DMC period?
  • dsmx, on 08/03/2008, -1/+83Hmm low sales of a game on the PC that was released months ago on the consoles, a genre of game that doesn't tend to get released on the PC anyway, anyone who cares about the game would of already bought the console version, history of crappy capcom PC ports. Anyone surprised by the low number of sales?
    • Shogi, on 08/04/2008, -0/+21Beat me to it. The whole time I was reading that article I was wondering why in the hell they would be expecting amazing sales on a port of a months old game. I'd bet that most people even interested in this game already owned it for a console. Not to mention the fact that I never even saw the PC release advertised.
      • dsmx, on 08/04/2008, -4/+31I'm getting sick and ***** tired of developers saying there game sold poorly because of piracy, no game sells poorly because of piracy. Piracy is an easy thing to blame because you don't need proof you can just say we made a good game but it got pirate 400 million times and for some insane reason no-one asks them to prove it.
      • mysticalone, on 08/04/2008, -0/+5honestly I don't think it's the developers saying it's piracy. I think it's the executives forcing everyone to say it's the piracy. Surely the developers are a tad smarter than blaming piracy?
      • MRintheKeys, on 08/04/2008, -5/+1Yeah it's merely irony that the game showed up on torrent sites the day it came out right?
      • Gizza, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1I'd bet my house, car and entire life savings that the amount of piracy is actually directly proportional to the popularity of the game, in that the games that sell the most copies are also the ones that get pirated the most.

        It's exactly the same as with TV shows. Take a look at the top 10 pirated TV shows, they just happen to be most of the top rated shows on TV.

        If a game gets pirated heaps, there is a very good chance that it's a popular game and would sell heaps as well.
    • staticneuron, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3Your right! When will the learn and just decide not to port things.

      If you ever noticed on certain tracers the number is available for those currently DL and how many copies have been DLed. Unless someones incredibley stupid you can at least count how many times its been torrented. The other methods are harder to find though but less accessible.

      And DMC3 just like many other japanese console titles, were ported to PC by Ubisoft. They did a buggy job on most of the PC ports they touched. So DMC4 runs great... capcom themselves did it and it recieves poor sales and reports of it being pirated. I am sure this isn't going to please the japanese big wigs and they just might go back to handing thir stuff to Ubi or just not porting at all.

      The more stories like this pop up, with the responses it seems to get (oh well the game sucks, they have no proof!!) I just waiting to see how much longer befor the OP realise this is a waste of time and effort and stop funding for devs to have a PC port.
      • aterimperator, on 08/04/2008, -0/+4Yet blaming piracy seems to be the easy way out. Releasing a game months later for a PC port is a strong incentive not to buy it. I didn't even know a PC port was available (though now that I do, I'll probably go buy it (or at least torrent try it (I don't think my computer can run it smoothly, but if it can))), so poor marketing is a strong reason no one would buy it. And while most ports were done by ubisoft and this one was not, people simply don't know that, all they see is that it's another capcom game that was ported and past capcom ported games didn't work out so well. On top of that list, that genre isn't a huge market of PC gamers (generally speaking). So summing all that up, there's fairly strong market forces at work to lead to a poor set of sales.

        And usually those number of downloads on torrent sites are number of times the tracker was downloaded. There are a lot of reasons that the tracker download number does not necessarily indicate the number of people who have downloaded the game. And there are even more reasons that it does not indicate how many sales they lost. Many of those who pirated it would never have bought it in the first place as well as a few would have bought it only if they were sure that it was a good game they'd enjoy (the "try before buy" approach). Simply saying "oh the tracker has been downloaded 400 million times means we lost 400 million sales" is far from correct.
  • SomeOneBig, on 08/04/2008, -6/+41Why people don't want to buy DMC4?

    1. No Multiplayer.
    2. Sucks with keyboard.

    Those are the main 2 reasons...
    • mattyice11, on 08/04/2008, -14/+10Then play it with a gamepad. It supports the 360 controller out of the box with no configuration.
      • robEstyles, on 08/04/2008, -7/+37Then why wouldn't I just play it on my 360
      • punkcat, on 08/04/2008, -4/+3haha no doubt.
      • SomeOneBig, on 08/04/2008, -2/+2Actually I do have an X360 controller, but im speaking for all the frustrated keyboard users, not just me. And the temptation is too big, when you know that you can download the game for free with all the features that people that buy get..
      • cthellis, on 08/04/2008, -2/+9@robEstyles

        ...you might not own one? (Or a PS3.) Your computer's display might be better than your TV? Your PC might be capable of higher graphics and performance?
      • reed311, on 08/04/2008, -7/+3Why not play it on the 360? Because it's easy to pirate for the PC.
    • SSUK, on 08/04/2008, -0/+5Some games aren't designed to be a 2 player. However, your second reason is very valid.
      • SomeOneBig, on 08/08/2008, -0/+1I understand that DMC4 doesn't need multiplayer, what I mean is that why buy a game that has all the same features and content as the pirated one. That why games with great multiplayer have a much lower percentage of pirated copies than those with bad mulitplayer or a game with no multiplayer at all.
    • Scrappy1850, on 08/04/2008, -2/+6bioshock wasnt multiplayer. if you have $2000 to throw at a gaming rig then shell out another $30 for a logitech controller
      • medfreak, on 08/04/2008, -2/+6$2000???
        A gaming rig that plays this on high would not cost more than $500
      • Scrappy1850, on 08/04/2008, -2/+2i dont think he bought a DMC box. he probably wants it to play current and future games. but the point is you can get a nice logitech rumblepad for $30
    • sewerraccoon, on 08/04/2008, -1/+0I must aggree, DMC isn't really the kind of game i think of playing on pc. Thats why I have consoles as well as a gaming rig, some things just fit better on certain platforms (gamepad vs keyboard & mouse)
  • Fathom, on 08/04/2008, -13/+3While DMC may stand as a bad example, cuz it sucks, it does bring up the fact that piracy of PC games is ridiculous. Game publishers should all use steam.
    • wexmajor, on 08/04/2008, -4/+7I'd like it if more publishers used Steam but piracy is pretty much the lamest ***** excuse in the industry. I instantly lose respect for any company that blames it for anything.
      • MRintheKeys, on 08/04/2008, -4/+1So you have no respect for the gaming industry at all? Last I checked, none of them liked having their products stolen from them.
      • otros, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2Of course no one likes his products being pirated, but that's miles from blaming piracy for bad sales.
    • xtrench, on 08/04/2008, -0/+4Yes, because Steam single player games were NEVER pirated.
    • grimward, on 08/04/2008, -0/+5Fathom, steam is not a secure distributing channel, I was shocked to learn that not only have pirates managed to get "de-steamed" versions of all the Half-life games, but they've also made multiplayer games work on pirate servers too.

      So no, steam is NOT secure, however it does promote cheap prices which is always a good thing.
      • Protoss, on 08/04/2008, -2/+4But it's a bitch to get pirated Steam games working, and usually the games that become pirated are terribly crippled.
  • Fmunkey, on 08/04/2008, -0/+17I have the wireless xbox 360 adapter, and I also have this game. It's just as good as on the console, as long as you have a controller to play with. There is no way you could play this on the keyboard and get anywhere.

    It's a great game, and I love it. But I got lucky and saw it in a store, they need to market the pc version so people actually know about it.

    Also, I love that games for windows requires xbox 360 controller support, makes life so much easier to not have to map buttons.
    • etherreal, on 08/04/2008, -15/+8Then whats the ***** point of playing it on PC. If I wanted to use n00bsticks I would go buy the console.
      • crashingechelon, on 08/04/2008, -4/+12The only way you'd win that argument is if DMC4 were a shooter. The only games I've found a keyboard and mouse good for is Shooters, RTS, and Point-n-Click Adventures. For every other game type it's better to use 'n00bsticks' as you put it.
      • thePTS, on 08/04/2008, -6/+2Agreed. With the quality of gaming apparel today, there's no way you need to settle with these consolepads. They look ugly, they feel ugly, and are made for idiots.
      • diabolicedict, on 08/04/2008, -11/+1@crashingechelon
        Try playing StarCraft or C&C with your 360 controller and see how good you'll be compared to KB and mouse users.
      • SomeOneBig, on 08/04/2008, -0/+6Actually DMC4 and almost any other action game like this play's better on the controller, also, racing games are better with a controller too...
      • Dauntless1, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1@diabolicedict You didn't even read his post before you thought you were qualified to answer, did you? He said keyboard and mouse is what to use for Starcraft or command and conquer, or ***** like unreal tournament, it's just that some games play better with "noobsticks". All the article mentions, is that if it isn't a FPS, RTS, or MMO it really doesn't sell worth ***** on PC. Despite what some people may think, there are cool games in other genres too.
      • etherreal, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1The only genre I will give a caveat to is racing. Even then, I would rather have a wheel. Keyboard and mouse is where its at, folks.
    • roxya, on 08/04/2008, -0/+6Yeah, I played the PC demo using a Sixaxis. It played great and looked amazing on my PC, but I already own it on PS3.

      Maybe if they released it at the same time as the console versions...
      • Dauntless1, on 08/04/2008, -1/+1Won't happen. They know they have guaranteed sales on the console, not so much on PC.
    • aterimperator, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2I wonder how difficult it would be to get a gamecube controller working. It's the only controller I really have lying around that I could use for this...
      • 32bytes, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2Just google "gamecube to usb adaptor"
  • amenic, on 08/04/2008, -14/+9This game belongs in an arcade, not on a PC.
    • Owwmykneecap, on 08/04/2008, -4/+2No it really doesn't.

      Do you know what an arcade game is?
      Crazy Taxi, Street Fighter, Time Crisis...
    • GrantTLC, on 08/04/2008, -3/+6What an elitist, wrong-headed attitude that is! The power and attraction of the PC is that given the right hardware and software it can do ANYTHING, not just stick rigidly to games that work better with a mouse and keyboard!
      • allisonaxe, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1buried for calling someone an elitist. i agree with the rest of your opinion, and not necessarily with amenic's, but calling someone you don't agree with an "elitist" is the lowest form of debate.
    • smoger, on 08/04/2008, -3/+3DMC would be a TERRIBLE arcade game in it's current form..
      • smoger, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1noone here know's the structure of an arcade game? are there ANY diggers over 15? arcade games are meant to be played for short bursts and completed fully in the span of 30minutes to an hour. DMC is far too long for that, although the *fighting* aspect of it would lend itself to an arcade version.
    • pigfister, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1/agree its a kids beat em up that belongs in the arcades, its repetitive, linear and boring.
  • snareguy17, on 08/04/2008, -0/+10Anyone ever try Silent Hill 4 on PC? That was an atrocious experience.
    • Nezacant, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3If I remember right the cut scenes were capped at 15 FPS. Why?! Looked horrible. In Konami's defense, Silent hill 2 and 3 ran fine on PC and looked great.
      • Gizza, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1I actually prefer the SH games on the PC. The ***** controls increase the suspense when you're struggling to run away from Pyramid Head and it takes you 5 minutes to turn around.
  • retrovertigo, on 08/04/2008, -10/+2Why would somebody buy a game like DMC4 for their PC? It's certainly not a mouse-friendly game. Capcom should be disgusted at themselves for allowing a PC port to exist in the first place.
    • otros, on 08/04/2008, -1/+2that's a stupid excuse, a wireless 360 controller costs 20 bucks.
      • retrovertigo, on 08/04/2008, -1/+1Why buy a 360 controller when you can just play it, as it was meant to be, on either PS3 or Xbox 360. And don't say "Because PC gamers don't have enough money." They'll drop $400 on a new video card but can't drop $300 on a console. I don't believe it.
      • aterimperator, on 08/04/2008, -1/+2@retrovertigo
        I "drop" about $800 on a PC with the best possible deals every 5 years or so, I get a relatively competitive gaming PC that deteriorates until at the end of that 5 years it's really quite terrible. Why would I "drop" $300-$400 on a console and then only get a $400 PC that would deteriorate even faster? That money has to come from somewhere.
      • otros, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1I'm kinda just out of college, not really working yet. I've a PC that can run crysis. So, i drop 20 for a controller or 500 on a ps3?
      • allisonaxe, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1@otros:
        liar. nobody can run Crysis! NOBODY!!!
  • Thundercracker, on 08/04/2008, -1/+3same here with Dynasty Warriors 4 for the PC.... no mouse support whatsoever...
    • Loonacy, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2Orochi Warriors and Samurai Warriors 2 aren't bad ports in my opinion.
    • GrantTLC, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2Plug in a gamepad?
  • Tape99, on 08/04/2008, -1/+8DMC3 for the pc was ported so badly that i reely dont want to buy any more Capcom pc games as i dont know if there going to be buggy/crap.
    Start making good pc games and you will have me buying some.
    • Narishma, on 08/04/2008, -2/+2That's what demos are for. Both DMC4 and Lost Planet (the 2 most recent capcom games) have demos with a benchmark tool to see if your PC can run it well. You don't need to pirate it for that.
      • Tape99, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1What does my hardware have anything to do with a bad port?
  • Necrid, on 08/04/2008, -2/+1I have DMC 3 on PS2, downloaded it on P.C, (on p.c not as fun)
    Got it on my 360, Did NOT download it for my P.C ( knowing it wont be as fun any way)
  • Disillusion, on 08/04/2008, -6/+8DMC4 just isn't the type of game you want to play on a PC. The PC is best for FPS, RTS, and MMO. Things like platformers and action oriented games you want to play on a console for the control and consistent performance.

    Companies really need to stop blaming piracy for everything!
    • GrantTLC, on 08/04/2008, -3/+9FPS, RTS & MMO? Is that all the games you think should be played on a PC? Good grief, no wonder quality titles for the platform are drying up faster than ice-cream on a hot day!

      You know, plug a decent pad into a PC and you can play any game out there. This unecessary snobbery towards genres that haven't classically worked well on PC - simply because people try to play them with the wrong controller, ie KB and mouse - really boils my blood.
      • flidge, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1im with you, a bit :D

        yeah, the PC can handle all these console titles, heck games for windows should guarantee 360 pad support, 720/1080 HD and some other things i cant recall.

        I hook my PC upto the 37" LCD HD screen and it plays the new games beautifully, and for a lot less cash. its also linked to the amp for dd 5.1 :)

        saying that, there are a few top rated games out on the PC at the moment. DMC4 is one, mass effect, race driver grid, sega rally, pes 2008, gears of war, leg indy etc. are all console games that play as good, if not better than their more expensive brothers.
  • LMN8R, on 08/04/2008, -0/+19It sucks that the game hasn't sold any better and was pirated so much, but come on:

    -It was released months upon months after the console version
    -PC gamers in general often own consoles too
    -Practically any multiplatform owner who wanted this game likely already has it
    -DMC 4 just isn't the type of game that would appeal to PC-only gamers
    -It's not on any digital distribution sites - as the article says, Capcom Japan's fault. What the ***** is wrong with them? Why wouldn't they want it on digital distribution sites?
    -No marketing at all for the game


    It's just a complete recipe for disaster, what did they honestly expect?
  • lolinyerface, on 08/04/2008, -1/+7Maybe if they gave the PC version more then an afterthought, it wouldn't be treated as an afterthought.
    I knew people that found it easier to download a pirate copy w/ a hack to get GOOD mouse support on RE4. This was after they had purchased a copy. What the hell, Capcom?
    • Narishma, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2That was RE4, and the port was done by Ubisoft. We are talking about DMC4.
  • DaFox, on 08/04/2008, -9/+2"PC Devil May Cry IV port."

    And they wonder why we don't buy their ***** ports. PC gamers have a much higher quality standard.

    LMN8R makes great points aswell.
  • Reinon, on 08/04/2008, -3/+1I had DMC 3... and I'll admit the game isn't one of those games you'll enjoy playing. Normally the only types of games I play are on-line games, or RPG games like Diablo. I guess Capcom just doesn't know how to target the mass audience of PC gamers.
  • crashingechelon, on 08/04/2008, -0/+4Honestly I didn't even know this was on the PC until I walked into Target and saw it sitting on the PC self. They really should have made a bigger announcement or atleast market it better. When they released it for the PS3 and 360 they made it known that the games were out. Atleast you can use the 360 controller to get the same experience as a console. Besides that it's DMC, I didn't care for 4 to much and I didn't play 3 and that's mainly from how lackluster part 1 and 2 had been. Well 1 not that much it was 2 that made me wonder what they were thinking.
    • aterimperator, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2I didn't know it was on PC till I woke up today and saw this on digg.
  • gadlaw, on 08/04/2008, -2/+2You can download the demo online - the demo also came with my PC Gamer Magazine and I haven't loaded the game up cause really, I don't care. The game is available in torrents? Don't care. Lots of folks not caring and not availability as a ripped available game for download is why it's not doing so well.
  • scabbers, on 08/04/2008, -6/+4People need to reject ports that aren't done properly.
    • Narishma, on 08/04/2008, -1/+3This one was done properly.
      • flidge, on 08/04/2008, -2/+0not even a port, was originally coded on a PC anyway.
  • LunaticFringe, on 08/04/2008, -3/+6The reason their PC sales suck is because they have a reputation for horrible ports filled with bugs and glitches. Piracy isn't a big issue there. I had the opportunity to buy DMC for the PC for $10, and I still passed on it.
  • ModX, on 08/04/2008, -0/+8Interviews from Blizzard and Valve about how the PC market is booming makes me scratch my head when these articles are published.
    • otros, on 08/04/2008, -1/+7It's really simple, good games do well.
    • sampson123, on 08/04/2008, -2/+1Blizzard makes MMO's wich have almost zero piracy by their nature. Valve has been moving toward consoles, don't expect them to release the PC version Left 4 Dead until the 360 version is also complete.
      • latova, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1Uh, you know that they've made like 50+ updates for PC TF2 ever since it was released, but PS3 and 360 versions have gotten absolutely no love?

        They also mentioned they made more sales on the PC version then the console version of orange box. So they're not treating 360 as their development platform of choice, the PC is, they're just porting it there.
      • sampson123, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1The 360 version of orange box has been getting updates. And they'll most likely add the new content as part of a pack once pricing gets figured out with EA and Microsoft. Obviously the PC is still the lead SKU for Valve games for now, but they still won't release games until the 360 version is complete.
      • mattyice11, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1Valve isn't even making L4D on 360 - another studio is porting it. Valve isn't abandoning the PC at all.
      • Gizza, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1"Blizzard makes MMO's"

        Rock & Roll Racing
        Blackthorne
        Lost Vikings
        Diablo
        Diablo II
        Warcarft 1-3 + Expansions
        Starcraft + BroodWar
        Wow + exp

        Yeah, I can see how you could come to that conclusion...
  • aelias, on 08/04/2008, -3/+3A quick scan of torrent sites says there aren't that many people pirating it, either. There are more people pirating COD4 right this second than DMC4
    • Dauntless1, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2COD4 is worth playing. I've not heard of that many people enjoying DMC4.
  • kent1146, on 08/04/2008, -5/+4Almost ironically, an article complaining about how DMC4 gets heavily pirated actually inspired me to go download a copy through bittorrent.

    This is what happens when media publishers have their heads stuck up their a$$es, and refuse to go digital distribution
  • ronaldmonster, on 08/04/2008, -1/+2Has anyone played the port of DMC 3? Never have I seen a PC game that ran better when you cranked up settings rather then turning them down, just to give you an example of how bad it was.
  • seavers, on 08/04/2008, -1/+4How many of you have actually played the game?
    Its not a bad port!
    • flidge, on 08/04/2008, -3/+5yeah Im amazed at the amount of crap spewing from the mouths of these ***** on here, its a fantastic PC game and about half the price of the console version.

      quit whining about how the previous versions were crap, no mouse (are you some kinda gimp! 360 pad is the way to go) or how its not the right game for a PC.

      go buy it and play it and enjoy it, or just come on and while like you ***** all love to do so much
    • ELCad, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2As many others here have already said that resent Capcom PC ports have been really bad, so why should we spend money when the odds are against us. Now after reading the postive comments here I may be willing to give Capcom another chance, but I am not really a fan of the DMC series.
  • t4m5t3r, on 08/04/2008, -10/+2Are they having a laugh? the PC port flopping HAD NOTHING WHAT SO EVER TO DO WITH PIRACY, do you want to know what did capcom assholes?

    the controls, you release a game on PC that has as similar control scheme to PC games from 12 ***** YEARS AGO what do you expect, people didnt even download this bag of ***** of a game. i have this game (had this game), so performance was not any issue, i could get about 90 -150 FPS in the performance test with everything up max @ 1650x1080.

    im getting so pissed of with this piracy *****, stop maing ***** games and movies and people will buy them simple as that, and the sad thing is that most of the worlds lemming like population dont see that this is nothing more than an attempt to raise profits, you know the way the oil companys, airlines, ect did to make a profit from terrorism! they call us criminals so they can keep making profit with absolute garbage!!

    Capcom you can suck my balls!!
    • t4m5t3r, on 08/04/2008, -3/+1by the way i hope im getting voted down for the "rudeness" because if you people dont see this is whats happening then theres even less hope than i thought!!
  • ChinezePanda, on 08/04/2008, -8/+1I cant name a single person that plays pc games offline.

    What is the damn point.

    DMC4.. for its price point.. is a 1 time play through. Thus. A RENT.
    • flidge, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2thats because you dont actually know anyone offline
  • rblancarte, on 08/04/2008, -0/+8They ported Devil May Cry 4?
  • knowitman, on 08/04/2008, -2/+6For the people that say piracy isn't to blame, I can't think of one PC gamer that actually buys games.
    • Dauntless1, on 08/04/2008, -0/+0Ummmm.........*****. Me neitherr, and I am a PC gamer.
    • Gizza, on 08/05/2008, -0/+2And I suppose you personally know every PC Gamer in the world?
      • knowitman, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1I should have rephrased that, out of all the people that I know who call themselves PC gamers, non of them actually buy their games. If they do, it is a very rare occurrence.
  • medfreak, on 08/04/2008, -1/+2Shhh... don't scare Rockstar you bastards!
  • UObean, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1First time I've heard of this port. Read some reviews and apparently it doesn't suck like all of Capcom's other console ports. I probably would have bought this if it were on steam, but its not so I won't. I don't want to deal with physical discs or cd keys. I just want to download my game and play it. If I can't do that I might as well get it for PS3. The fact that they refused to release this on steam just makes me not want to buy it on console either. I don't want to give my money to a company that doesn't support Steam.
  • flidge, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1the true problem, not many even knew the game was out of the PC... Next time, try actually advertising the game, it might actually sell well.

    in the uk its 18 quid at play.com, zero excuse not to buy this game at that price. looks better and is cheaper than your console owning ***** friends versions
    • Dauntless1, on 08/04/2008, -0/+0As I just said, I game on PC. I also own all three next gen consoles, and my family and I enjoy gaming on all of them. What's the hatred for console? The only thing I've noticed is that lately, (and for at least the rest of this year, anyway) it seems that all the decent looking titles come out on PC later than consoles. Is that why the big hatred?
      WTF??
      • flidge, on 08/04/2008, -0/+0WTF back at you, friend. you know damn well why, dont ***** me about ***** face.
      • Dauntless1, on 08/04/2008, -0/+0No, really? I just don't understand. I like Gears Of War on my 360, Resistance on Ps3 and Empire at war( soon to be dropped for Starcraft II) on the PC. I really don't understand why someone hates on one system versus the others. I like them equally well and have huge amounts of fun on all. So, WTF??
  • placebofx, on 08/04/2008, -3/+2Problem is that PC gamers don't want to play DMC IV. Personally, I think most PC gamers own at least one console.
  • Coolkid11, on 08/04/2008, -2/+3After seeing how horribly unoptimized Capcom's ports were for the PC, I was hesitant to purchase DMC4. I torrented the game, and then played it, saw how well it ran on my computer, and purchased it. It runs really well and is really fun at least for me, I would highly recommend pirating and then buying. It is more fun with a controller though and is better on PC than on console.
  • cubicledrone, on 08/04/2008, -5/+2Games are mostly ***** sequels and are overpriced. Make better games and cut prices 50%. Sell old games for 80% off retail. Set up an iTunes for video games.

    There, I just solved the problem. Next, please.
    • roflbrothel, on 08/04/2008, -0/+8iTunes for video games?

      What a great idea!

      We can call it Steam!
      • cubicledrone, on 08/04/2008, -3/+0Steam != iTunes

      • Ranneko, on 08/05/2008, -0/+2No, it offers many features that you do not see on iTunes.

        Such as the ability to redownload games.
  • Slybri, on 08/04/2008, -1/+2Any money you make on a PC release of a 5 month old console game is a bonus. They should be happy they sold anything at all, since it's an arcade style fighting game that's better played with a gamepad on a sofa in front of a big screen.
  • roflbrothel, on 08/04/2008, -4/+2Wow, Crapcom is still in business?
  • Kevin108, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1When the companies start figuring out that DRM leads to piracy instead of preventing it and that pirates and customers are not the same demographic, their profits will return. A locked-down game with a copy protection scheme that makes it difficult to install and slow to load is keeping some customers away and sending some others after a free, unencumbered copy. The paying customers are the only ones punished by DRM.

    As for consoles, my newest is my SNES I got when I was a kid. I moved on to PC gaming after that.
  • fuzzynyanko, on 08/04/2008, -1/+1CAPCOM's PC ports have a horrible reputation. I tried the DMC4 demo the other day and was genuinely impressed. It ran at an average 30 fps on this old rig. However, I never played the first three Devil May Cry games, so I didn't bother to pick up #4.

    However, this stems from many years as having a PC. For example, Mega Man X all of those years ago looked and sounded awful. The Street Fighter by CAPCOM was like a slideshow, and had generic music. The best song, Ryu's theme, sounded great but wasn't even used in the game itself! The Gametek and Eurocom port of Super Street Fighter II Turbo was awesome.

    However, CAPCOM PC games were always iffy on whether or not they would be a high-quality port. DMC4 I think was actually ported FROM a PC.
  • ps3udonym, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3Well, I had no idea that this game was for PC. Not that I really care. I don't like the console ports that come out. Crappy controlls and bad perspective. As for pirating games.. well I won't buy games until I have really played them on downloaded copies first. I have been burned FAR to many times. The latest two were with Test Drive Unlimited where I was forced to play a game that simply wasn't finnished, and Bioshock where the DRM installed software that required me to reformat my computer before I could get rid of it.

    After experiences like that, is it any wonder people are driven to download, rather than buy? As for the "Tripwires".. sorry, haven't experienced them. Well, not in any sense more than the ussual bugs in the game. I can't see that idea being anything other than counter-productive. Pirates also tend to be Alpha-Consumers. They get it first, and if they like it they not only buy it, but the convince all their friends to buy it as well. Having those Alpha-Consumers think your product is buggy and poorly designed is a recipe for a public relations disaster.

    I hate to bring up Sins, but it IS the example to follow. No DRM, it is pirated to hell and back, yet outsold all the big titles without breaking a sweat. Make a game that people WANT to play, and people WILL play it. Make a game that is a crap console port, and guess what? People will only download it to taste, and then pan it, That is the way Alpha-Consumerism works. It is time that game companies learn to USE the pirates. It is, after all, only free advertising.
  • godinster, on 08/04/2008, -1/+1Anyone who honestly thinks DRM policies affect game sales significantly is oblivious. I've never played this but I'm sure the reason it didn't sell well is because the game itself is mediocre or there was crappy marketing. Thankfully most of you aren't assuming that but for the odd whacko who is, you're wrong. DRM is annoying, that being said.
  • ryansimbalist, on 08/04/2008, -1/+1Capcom's pretty paranoid about their properties, I figured that out about 1/2 a year ago after download StreetFighter 2 for the PS1. They contacted my ISP and shut down my internet so I had to call them to discuss it and they told me to delete the file (burned it to CD already :). The only reason I downloaded the game (which I already own) was because my CD drive wasn't working. Why are they still monitoring PSX torrents anyways?
    • BitKid, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1How'd u burn the game if your CD drive wasn't working..hmmmm?
      • ryansimbalist, on 08/17/2008, -0/+1My CD drive wasn't working because it couldn't read data off of CD's but was still able to write data. Weird I know, it happened after I reinstalled vista. Must have had a bad driver or something. I restored a backup of my system and then it started working again.
  • pigfister, on 08/04/2008, -2/+2bull *****, piracy that's there excuse to their share holders.

    the game sucks and should have stayed on the kids consoles
    • veriix, on 08/04/2008, -1/+1and for the last time, GET OFF HIS DAMN LAWN!!
  • 20grams, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3I'm an active member of Capcom forums, this article is poorly written, Sven made one statement about piracy based on a hunch with no real evidence, He said he "bets" DMC4 is being pirated to hell and back based on the fact that it was up on torrents at launch day as if all other pc games aren't that way, Yet they push it as if Capcom is b***in' about piracy which is clearly not the case, This is not the first time this has happened, Lots of devs have been misquoted or taken out of context to push fanboy agenda,

    It's sad that gaming journalism has stooped so low, Just another lame attempt to push propaganda that'll create more hits, Sven is more like a PR person on the Capcom forums who intercedes for gamers to the higher execs, He doesn't have as much info, He made an obvious statement, FYI, every pc game goes up on torrents on day one, even World of Warcraft, The only exceptions were Mass Effect, Bioshock and Alone in the Dark which had draconian DRM , Some even come out right after the game goes gold, DMC4 torrent stats are very low compared to your average pc game

    He was just making a blanket statement that barely had anything to do with the propaganda the article is pushing, Let's dissect the information from the forums and the argument being made from the article for a second for a moment here

    For instance, Piratebay, one of the biggest torrent suppliers and leechers has only 244 seeders for DMC4 and about 30 leechers,

    http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4284271/...Cry.4-R ...

    Even Orange Box came long after retail and mainly on steam has over 900 leechers and 100 seeders,

    http://thepiratebay.org/tor/4015192/..._Box_%5BDVD ...

    Even Sins of a Solar empire has more seeders, 346 and even more leechers 72

    http://thepiratebay.org/tor/4022218/...D%5BEnglish ...

    Oh and another fun fact that even makes this attempt to blackball pc gamers even more pathetic, DMC4 for 360, there are 3 different pirated rips, This is just one of them, Vortex on just one torrent site, It shows over 2000 downloads, Do the math

    http://www.mininova.org/tor/1161677

    What does that tell you? DMC4's relatively low sales has barely anything to do with piracy, What do you expect when you re release a game that has been available for over 5 months? It's stupidity to make direct comparisons to console sales when first of all both platforms show different sales patterns, PC games get off to a slow start and have longevity, Console games sell like crackers in the first week and die off, Second off, they should be comparing DMC4 pc sales to something like Lost Planet ps3 sales, I bet that didn't sell that well since it's been available on 360 and pc for quite well, People aren't going to buy the same game twice on the norm

    Oh and let's not forget the game barely got any press or advertisement for pc, The console versions were hyped to death yet there was barely any coverage on the pc version, PC gamers had to literally hunt for information on the pc version, Hence why Sven came in as the communicator who provided updates, Barely any pc magazine ads or press, How can you expect the DAMN game to sell if you don't market it? Heck, so many millions of pc gamers don't even know this game is available on pc, That's how bad their marketing was, Too much focus on console versions and nada for the pc version

    We all know US retail sales for pc games are at all time low due to the skyrocketing trend of digital distribution and the fact that more and more Game retailers are cutting down on their pc stock, If you read the forum posts, you'd notice piracy wasn't even the main point of the thread and it was more about the overall reception of the game, He didn't even talk about Europe sales where pc gaming retail is still going strong, Also, Games sell like wild fire on digital distribution networks, Reception for Lost Planet was exponentially larger on Steam alone than total retail sales, Heck it was still in the top selling Steam games for a long time when it came out
    • vtec9k, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1Spot on 20 grams. Sven's comments were taken quite a bit of out of context, I do question the wisdom of him even mentioning piracy - although looking at the free marketing from his comment he clearly got a good result on the publicity side...

      DMC4 bombed on the Pc for all the reason you mention.
  • ice2cu, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1I think there are a couple of deterrents to sales not addressed in the Ars Technica article. First, that the price as of a week or two ago was $50, PC game full-price for a port of a six-month old game. Late ports always have the stench of being an afterthought, not quite as well-executed as the original. Charging new-game price for what is essentially a port of an old-ish game might turn some customers away.

    The second issue is that DRM is turning gamers away from the PC. Game-makers are rarely forthcoming about what DRM is installed in their products, and DRM can take away rights you know you have if you buy the game on console. For example, if the DRM software phones home, your disk probably has a limited number of installs. This completely eliminates all resale value for your game. Buy a console game and you can sell it in a month for nearly what you paid. Buy a PC game and it might lose all its value the moment you install it. Game makers need to tell you what rights you give up when you buy their games if they don't want consumers to be afraid to risk buying their products.
  • reason74, on 08/04/2008, -1/+2I bought Devil May Cry 4 and it runs like a champ on my rig although I don't use DX10 (8800GT and Core 2 Duo). I wish developers ported more action titles to the PC, but they have to rethink the strategy if they want to be successful.

    1. Release the PC version of console ports at least 1 month of the release on the console release. Selling Gears of War PC a year later and bitching about sales is kinda silly. Especially Halo 2 PC which we waited 3 years for. I know they are worried about handicapping console sales, but come on.

    2. Make sure the ports over to the PC have a little extra effort put into them so that they utilize PC features and benefits. Don't be cheap to make a quick buck. Resident Evil 4 with no mouse support pisses me off and I buy all my games.

    3. Games like Madden (which wasn't released for the PC this year :-( ) Should be exact ports from the XBOX 360 version and not a rehash of the PS2 version.

    4. Make the online features cross platform capable, Specifically PC gamers and XBOX 360 gamers should be able to play against each other. Side note: I love using my XBOX 360 gear on my PC.

    I prefer PC gaming as most of the ports cost $39.99 versus the console versions which are $59.99. Pirates will always be around but if they did the things above, I think sales would be a little better. Just my 2 Cents.
    • hordak, on 08/04/2008, -0/+1I agree. I'm a hardcore PC gamer --- though I do own a Wii and PS3. I'll gladly spend the time to install a game if it will same me $10-$20 bucks... especially when the game is virtually identical to the console version; e.g., Guitar Hero 3, Dirt, etc. And like Sven, I have my PC hooked up to my living room 52" inch LCD --- so, none of this playing at my desk BS of the 90's. ;)
  • blindsided, on 08/04/2008, -1/+1yah i'd say that the port sales is more a result of lack of advertising/promotion for the pc port more than anything. I bet they are just bringing up the fact that's it's being pirated for the free press.
  • supermanred, on 08/04/2008, -1/+1Face it, it isn't just pirated copies that are buggy on PC... many PC ports are buggy and perform better on 500 dollar consoles like the Xbox 360 because the companies devote more of their coding time and optimization to the platform that actually, you know, pays their bills. If you make 30 million dollars from the 360 version and only 1 million from sales of the PC version, then you clearly need to devote more time to the larger audience...

    Until PC gamers stop pirating games, they will always be a second class citizen to console gamers... man has this switched roles since the old days of PC gaming...
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