Paradox CEO: DRM is "terrible", "doesn't make sense"
DRM is a waste of money, doesn't work, and worst of all, so 2003, according to Paradox Interactive CEO Fred Wester.
"I’m so surprised that people still use DRM. We haven’t done that for seven or eight years, and the reason is that it doesn’t make sense," Wester told Gamespy.
The executive said DRM is poor "from a gamer perspective" and provides a "terrible" experience, citing his own difficulties with Civilization III as an example.
"No one should have to purchase a product that they’re unable to install because of the DRM. People who purchase a game should have just as easy a time as those who pirate the game, otherwise it’s a negative incentive to buy a legal copy," he argued.
But Wester also believes there's little incentive to use DRM on the business side, either.
"I just can’t see why people are using DRM still. If you take something like Sony’s DRM, SecuROM - it’s a waste of money," he said.
"It will keep you protected for three days, it will create a lot of technical support, and it will not increase sales. And I know this for a fact, because we tried it eight years ago, and it never worked for us."
Wester suggested that companies sometimes used to resort to DRM because it provides an easy answer when shareholders asked how a publisher is protecting their investments, but in this day and age, that's not a good enough excuse.
"Now, I see no reasonable explanation for why people keep on adding it," he said.
"Especially the kind where you have to be online all the time, like Ubisoft. I think that’s, to me that’s 2003. "
Paradox Interactive is a PC specialist publisher and developer based in Sweden. Some of its most notable recent properties include Magicka; King Arthur: The Roleplaying Game; Cities in Motion and Heart of Iron.