Why I Am Alive is unlikely to launch on PC

"If only 50,000 people buy it then it's not worth it."

Post-apocalyptic survival game I Am Alive launches this winter on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade. Why not on PC?

For the game's creative director Stanislas Mettra, the reason is simple: PC gamers probably won't buy it, despite their moaning about it not being available.

"We've heard loud and clear that PC gamers are bitching about there being no version for them," Mettra told IncGamers.

"But are these people just making noise just because there's no version or because it's a game they actually want to play? Would they buy it if we made it?"

Ubisoft has had a troubled relationship with PC gamers in recent years. Many of its PC games force players to always be online to work.

Ubisoft game Driver: San Francisco came under fire recently for particularly stringent DRM that required gamers to be online all of the time. Ubisoft later tweaked this so an online sign-in was required once, at game launch; Driver: San Francisco can then be played offline.

PC game piracy, a subject Eurogamer recently investigated, is often blamed when publishers explain their PC-related decisions. Ubisoft has claimed its policy is a success, insisting it has seen "a clear reduction in piracy of our titles which required a persistent online connection".

Mettra said piracy makes porting games to PC financially difficult.

"It's hard because there's so much piracy and so few people are paying for PC games that we have to precisely weigh it up against the cost of making it," he said.

"Perhaps it will only take 12 guys three months to port the game to PC, it's not a massive cost but it's still a cost. If only 50,000 people buy the game then it's not worth it."

Comments (76) Latest comment 6 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • oceanclub #1 6 months ago

    Meanwhile:

    [link url=http://www.gameranx.com/updates/id/3779/article/cthulhu-saves-the-world-bundle-sells-100-000-on-steam/http://www.gameranx.com/updates/id/3779/article/cthulhu-saves-the-world-bundle-sells-100-000-on-steam/[/link]

    "The creators of Cthulhu Saves the World and Breath of Death VII, Zeboyd Games, have announced that their bundle has sold 100,000 copies on Steam. This is after they were widely available on the Indie section of the XBLA, where they sold significantly less over a longer period of time."

    But.. but... but.. PC piracy!

    P.
    Edited by oceanclub at 23/11/11 @ 15:11
  • -cerberus- #2 6 months ago

    Well, if it's a confirmed arcade title then I surely won't be buying it. Hard copy or no sale.
  • thesombrerokid #3 6 months ago

    prolly shouldn't release it on any platform then, hahahahahahaha
  • xmifi #4 6 months ago

    Yes, and console piracy is unheard off. Only pc players pirate their games the others are pure angels. Having over 300 games on steam i can say it's pure BS what he is talking. If you make a good game people would buy it.

    Look at witcher 2 it was released without drm they should have been bankrupt by know since us pc gamers only pirate our games.
  • spekkeh #5 6 months ago

  • knibble #6 6 months ago

    If they think it would only sell 50k on PC, then they obviously dont have much faith in their game, so its probably not very good in the first place.
  • Tomahawk #7 6 months ago

    I kinda get what he is saying, he probably wants to put most of the teams manpower towards more profitable projects. He could have said it without making himself sound like an idiot though, saying things like fans are "bitching" and if "only 50,000" people buy it it's not worth releasing is just bad PR.
  • tomjoadsghost #8 6 months ago

    So is the nonexistence of this thing on PC *actually* upsetting anyone or is this just the wednesday afternoon PC piracy debate line-in-the-sand due to a lack of more appealing targets?
  • schoozzzmmii #9 6 months ago

    50,000 copies sold at £6.40 is £320,000 so, even with steam taking their cut, unless those 12 guys are being paid over £8000 a month for the pc conversion work then this explanation is frankly rubbish.
  • Sharzam #10 6 months ago

    They forget that tradtionally PC games have a long tail. Most xbox and PS3 games have high numbers in the first week/month then tail off as they leave the spotlight however with PC the games can carry on for months or even years.

    If the game is good it will countine to sell and will have peaks very so often due to sales and promotions. Maybe an extreme example but look at something like Half Life 2. Which was released in 2004, i bet it still is selling even today albeit in low numbers but i can bet more than the orginal Xbox which is no longer even made.

    I know a bit bias off the cuff, but i think alot developers forget the fact the PC isnt static. They only look at the headline console "xxxxxx sold in xx hours" and forget about the big picture.
  • Underking #11 6 months ago

    What an asshole! Ubisoft credibility is going down and down because of people like this.

    This kind of idiotic developers should stop blaming piracy for their own incompetence.Good games sell with or without piracy. I don't see the makers of Cthulhu Saves the Earth, Torchlight, Super Meat Boy, The Witcher 2, Minecraft, Total War, etc. complaining about the PC gaming market.
  • WiZZyWiGG #12 6 months ago

    What is it with developers/publishers making terrible excuses for not making PC versions of things these days.... *sigh* At least give a decent reason.
  • GAmbrose #13 6 months ago

    @schoozzzmmii

    I highly doubt they get every penny of the sale price!
  • JayG #14 6 months ago

    It makes no difference to me anyway, I refuse to buy any Ubisoft games on any platform with their attitude lately. Not that it matters, way too many great games been released by publishers who have a clue what they are doing.
  • bad09 #15 6 months ago

    Honestly, it looks completely shit after the years of waiting so I really don't care they'd proberly stop us buying it with a poor port or DRM anyway so saves everyone some hassle this way.

    TBH I think it's time Ubi moved on completely with the 90% drop in their sales I think it's pretty safe to say they have damaged themselves beyond repair with legitmate gamers on PC. Even if they went DRM free I honestly don't see how they can bring it back now, especially when Ubi has pricks like this fella constantly trolling the customer base. "Wah Wah no one buys our games therefore you are all pirates wah wah". Piss off.
  • paketep #16 6 months ago

    Well, it's Ubi, so I'm certainly not going to buy it. Especially if they keep pushing people to say idiotic things like this guy.

    If only 50,000 people buy it, it's because you're insulting PC gamers day and night, you idiots, both with your piss-poor ports, and with your useless DRM. And most of your games are crap anyway.

    Whatever. If you don't want our money, go sell more games for the consoles. You'll come back crying, just like EA and Activision are doing right now.
  • obscured021 #17 6 months ago

    some of my friends have anything from 100-150 pirate games for there 360 with the 100mb broad band alot of us have here in the big towns/city's you can download a 360 game in less than ten mins, but them same people buy there pc games from steam go figure.
  • TrevHead #18 6 months ago

    "But are these people just making noise just because there's no version or because it's a game they actually want to play? Would they buy it if we made it?"

    I agree with him here as gamers who post on the internet have eyes bigger than their bellies.

    Still shame it isnt coming to the pc
  • v.profane #19 6 months ago

    "so few people are paying for Ubisoft PC games".

    For every Stanislas Mettra there are two people saying that XBLA and PSN aren't worth it because the certification is a pain in the arse and they don't get their games promoted properly. Never heard of this game before, incidentally.
  • spekkeh #20 6 months ago

    @Underking
    Good games sell with or without piracy. I don't see the makers of Cthulhu Saves the Earth, Torchlight, Super Meat Boy, The Witcher 2, Minecraft, Total War, etc. complaining about the PC gaming market.
    That's probably because The Witcher 2 and Total War are full releases and the others are much, much smaller efforts than I Am Alive. Only Torchlight comes close, but I reckon they still didn't even have a fifth of the budget.
  • darkmorgado #21 6 months ago

    There is a very easy way to drastically reduce, if not outright eliminate, piracy on PC.

    Tie your game to Steam.

    There you go. No need for heavy-handed, always-online DRM that punishes the consumer.
  • JayG #22 6 months ago

    Ubisoft are like the ex girlfriend who dropped you, and constantly rings up saying well you never did the washing up, always left the clothes on the floor, made awful jokes and I'm now with a new improved modern man who always does what I tell him, smells of roses with a hint of ginger. And constantly rings up, even after you have a new girlfriend who isn't a neverending moaning cow. I think we get it by now. PC users are scum and we should all just kill ourselves. Course the fact I also have a Xbox, 3ds and probably picking up the Vita means I might think twice about buying anything with the Ubisoft logo on it.
  • LiamK #23 6 months ago

    50,000 copies sold at £6.40 is £320,000 so, even with steam taking their cut, unless those 12 guys are being paid over £8000 a month for the pc conversion work then this explanation is frankly rubbish.
    Along with electricity, the VAT on the copy sold, the tax the company has to pay, office space, the fact that the 12 people could be working on something more profitable... But no. I'm sure you've examined their finances and worked all the details out.
    Having over 300 games on steam i can say it's pure BS what he is talking. If you make a good game people would buy it.
    I have insurance on my car. Anyone who says that uninsured driver are a problem is talking BS.

    But let's all carry on using our vast experience of only a couple of our mates to show that everyone else is wrong. There's no way a company would want to make money, is there? No, that's just crazy talk.
  • ic4ruz #24 6 months ago

    I agree with most of the comments, but still, piracy is a big issue on PC.

    I'm pretty much the only guy that actually BUY my games. Most of my other friends just steal it of Piratebay.... and i'm in Iceland, wich isn't excatly a 3 world country.
  • uiruki #25 6 months ago

    Isn't that the game which was originally supposed to come out at retail, but Ubisoft basically took the game inhouse, completely redid it with a different team and are just slipping it out on Live/PSN to try and recoup some of the money they have hurled at it? You could argue that perhaps the chap is just trying to make some more headlines so people are aware it still exists.
  • Seoh #26 6 months ago

  • DwarfyP #27 6 months ago

    @oceanclub

    Thats because Indie section of the Xbox is rarely visited by the mainstream as it has no achievements in the games and tend to be low quality.

    PC gamers will play anything. I mean, look at how popular Minecraft is. A terrible looking LEGO'esque game.

    Consoles, while they do have piracy, sell a LOT more than they ever do on PC. Check any game chart sales and you'll see Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of games high in the chart while PC versions barely make it.
  • arcam #28 6 months ago

    Would they buy it if we made it?

    Nope, but I might if someone else had made it ;)
  • oceanclub #29 6 months ago

    @DwarfyP "PC gamers will play anything. I mean, look at how popular Minecraft is."

    The game that no less than Peter Molyneaux says is a work of genius and the best thing he's played in 10 years.

    Excellent trolling. 10/10.

    It's possible that you're not trolling, in which case I truly feel very sorry for you and your lack of imagination.

    P.
  • TheTingler #30 6 months ago

    "But are these people just making noise just because there's no version or because it's a game they actually want to play? Would they buy it if we made it?"
    Um, you realise you've just basically said your game is something no one wants to play don't you? PC gamers aren't some mythical other-species of gamer, they have the same likes/dislikes as console gamers. If you think they actually wouldn't want to play it, then NO ONE WANTS TO PLAY I AM ALIVE.

    Oh, and if you're releasing it digital-only Mr Mettra, then you've got a much better chance of selling it on PC. Unless your game is boring, which you obviously think it is.
  • Seoh #31 6 months ago

    Is piracy actually still an issue on PC in real terms? I'd love to know where these statistics come from. My personal experience is that things like Steam have driven down piracy in the PC players i know.
  • The_B #32 6 months ago

    Of course so few people are buying PC games as opposed to Arcade titles on the consoles. It's not as if just yesterday, Introversion as part of a Humble Indie bundle, outsold their XBLA release of one of those games within LESS THAN AN HOUR is it?

    Oh, wait a sec...
  • kangarootoo #33 6 months ago

    @xmifi

    Lets be clear, PC piracy is far easier than console piracy. I'm a tech savvy dude, but I couldn't tell you how to run pirated games ojn a 360 or PS3 (or if its even possible on both) because I haven't already looked into it.

    My parents could tell you how to run pirated PC games, and the instructions would go something like this.

    1. Download pirated video game.

    End of lesson.


    Stating that console piracy also exists is a bit of a red herring. Nobody is saying it doesn't exist, they are saying its not that significant or worrying for developers and publishers.
  • Paul_cz #34 6 months ago

    Ubisoft: Pissing off their customers, forever and ever.

    Well, you can keep it, Ubi. Meanwhile Bethesda, CDProjekt, Valve, Blizzard, Mojang,EA, Square Enix, (insert another hundred companies) will get our money.
  • DozyKipper #35 6 months ago

    In order words: "We are lazy-arsed <censored> who have conveniently forgotten that the PC market will still be around when consoles are long gone."
  • arcam #36 6 months ago

    @kangarootoo

    It's really not easier. The majority of 360 pirates just buy a chipped box, and then download a game and burn it to disc. I know a few people that regularly download Xbox games, and not a single one of them would know how to pirate and install a PC game. Even if I tried to teach them they would not get it.

    For PC, you need to know how to install and configure virtual drives, how to mount an ISO, how to copy over cracked content and run a keygen or disable your net connection. It's a lot more complicated than pirating console games.

    I agree with you that it's a much bigger issue on PC compared to console, but the difference is that PC gamers are naturally more PC savvy, so while it may be a lot harder to do, a much higher proportion of people have the skills needed to do it, or are capable of googling it to find out.
    Edited by arcam at 23/11/11 @ 16:28
  • oceanclub #37 6 months ago

    @gotyourmoney Point taken, but I could list other people, the myriad of awards, even the acclaim in other media. Dismissing Minecraft because of the blocky graphics is just wilfully ignorant of why it's been such a success. As for the idea that people are only playing it because there's nothing else to play: uh, has anyone seen what Skyrim looks like on PC?
  • cheeky_pete #38 6 months ago

    Quite frankly the could do a PC port but Ubisoft have been so successful in destroying their PC games that even if he was assured of 100K sales they still wouldn't do it. Even if they did it would likely be a terrible port.

    The days of the 360s dominance are fading and digital distribution on PC will soon be king and guess what Ubisoft and random ill informed game developer man, PC gamers, they know how to hold a grudge.
  • makariel #39 6 months ago

    What an exceptional display of arrogance!

    Obviously he doesn't want my money. No, I won't get the PS3 version either.
  • bad09 #40 6 months ago

    @kangarootoo

    But what makes it a problem then? PC piracy IS piracy for some in the industry yet until this gen console piracy was just awful and everywhere, everyone was doing it way back to the SNES yet we have never seen the kind of customer retailation we see these days on PC in some areas. Why now on one platform only is it that some claim things are so terrible? Remember not everyone is having the same problem, sure piracy is there (like on the consoles) but I would put money on not many having the same sales problems of Ubi, indeed even in the face of piracy many still see growth or potential for growth.

    Oh just because you are tech savvy doesn't mean a thing, you would be surpised how tech minded joe public becomes when saving money :)
  • xmifi #41 6 months ago

    @kangarootoo That's why xbox bans every year a million players.

    With a console when you open it to run copy games is more easy then on computer.

    But even if this was true why are companys still making pc games ?

    Is it cause the companys are lossing money on them and that's why they make it ?
    Edited by xmifi at 23/11/11 @ 16:43
  • Lamb #42 6 months ago

    Dude Stanislas, you sure you are a creative director because you don't sound like no Lem! :D

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanis%C5%82aw_Lem
  • nickthegun #43 6 months ago

    My anecdotal evidence based on 3 guys I know contradicts the creative director of the game in question, therefore he is wrong and there is no piracy problem on the PC.
  • number3son #44 6 months ago

    Skyrim. No DRM. Minimum 250K sales in the first 24 hours on Steam alone.

    The "piracy is killing PC gaming" crap doesn't fly anymore, asshole.
    Edited by number3son at 23/11/11 @ 17:15
  • Lamb #45 6 months ago

    Yeah I only saw the third version and read the book. A bit sad. (The version, not my viewing habits.) :D

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solaris_(novel)
  • number3son #46 6 months ago

    @gotyourmoney
    Alright, I would say no "additional" DRM, then. Certainly nothing on the level of what Ubisoft or EA uses. Steam is the most lenient form of DRM, anyway.
    Edited by number3son at 23/11/11 @ 17:17
  • kangarootoo #47 6 months ago

    @arcam

    "It's really not easier. The majority of 360 pirates just buy a chipped box, and then download a game and burn it to disc."

    How on earth is that as easy as simply downloading a program that will run on any unmodified Windows PC?



    "For PC, you need to know how to install and configure virtual drives, how to mount an ISO, how to copy over cracked content and run a keygen or disable your net connection. It's a lot more complicated than pirating console games."

    Sorry dude, I dispute that. No doubt there are anecdotally some games that will fulfill that list of requirements, but they are not in the majority. Most cracked PC games just run with no extra dicking about required.


    P.s there is a huge caveat hanging over my typically bold statement above, which is "unless things have changed dramatically since I played PC games and pirated anything, both of which I've not done for years" :)


    "but the difference is that PC gamers are naturally more PC savvy, so while it may be a lot harder to do, a much higher proportion of people have the skills needed to do it, or are capable of googling it to find out"

    Well perhaps we splitting hairs here. This feels like a conversation with an "but that is only because..." floating toward it. For whatever reason, the average PC is more ably equipped to pirate games than the average console user. Whether that is because console piracy requires the purchase of new HW, or because PC gamers can "find stuff out more", the reality is what it is.

    The root of this whole discussion is surely whether this dude is correct in his assertion about expect PC sales (with piracy being a factor that we introduced). If we say "yes piracy is rife on PCs, but only because XYZ"... we aren't actually disagreeing with him, we are just putting an negative emotional slant on facts we present that actually back up what he is saying.
  • kangarootoo #48 6 months ago

    @xmifi

    "But even if this was true why are companys still making pc games?"

    Well I guess it is because they can still make a profit at it. But it feels like the number that invest heavily in that sector is reducing, and those that do are feeling less comfortable with their investment and laying on DRM with a big spoon.

    Maybe games development has just got more profitable over the years and so the gold posts have shifted. Maybe back in the day you could make £10 for every £2 invested making PC games and you were fine with that and piracy and everything else involved. And maybe these days you can make £20 for every £2 invested in console game development, and the publishers are looking at their £10 return on PC games and thinking "I'm taking my money out of this" or they are thinking "I want to push that £10 nearer to £20, because I'm not happy with £10 anymore".
  • asphaltcowboy #49 6 months ago

    @Underking All those games you listed are available on Steam. And Minecraft requires a perma-online login, no?

    You complain about them not wanting to do it due to cost/piracy, but I bet if Ubi set up a Steam-like service (let's call it "UbiSteam";) you lot would all be complaining about how "you don't want more than one DL service installed on your PC" and "why can't it just be on Steam FFS?"

    Not everyone wants to give a chunk of their profits to Valve just to host their game on Steam!
  • oceanclub #50 6 months ago

    @gotyourmoney "I'm agreeing with you, just not your choice of 'spokesperson"

    Well, let's agree to differ on that since I think we agree on the substantive points. :)
  • dingo75 #51 6 months ago

    Then make it better so more than 50.000 PC gamers will buy it. Easy!
  • CrashT #52 6 months ago

    They might have lost 50,000 sales by not releasing a PC version, but they certainly have lost 1 sale by being so arrogant about it.
  • Machetazo #53 6 months ago

    @gotyourmoney There's an Armstrong and Miller comedy sketch to be made there.
  • UncleLou #54 6 months ago

    Pretty funny how this article has 60 comments, while the preview has 11. :D
  • IronCladChicken #55 6 months ago

    @asphaltcowboy
    As opposed to giving a chunk of their profits to Microsoft or Sony for hosting the game on their systems?
  • v.profane #56 6 months ago

    @kangarootoo Take a look at the PC games on The Pirate Bay and look at the install instructions and the comments from people who can't figure them out or get them to work.
  • arcam #57 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 09:50:59 12-12-2011
  • Lukey__b #58 6 months ago

    @gotyourmoney I always though it was 'dime a dozen'.
  • arcam #59 6 months ago

  • uninspiredcup #60 6 months ago

    Amnesia The Dark Decent sold about 300 thousand copies on the pc.
    So yea, probably. Maybe if Ubisoft weren't such cunts your games would be worth buying. Being a cunt to pc gamers just makes them A) not buy your game and B) Pirate it more. So well done, you stupid cunts.
  • asphaltcowboy #61 6 months ago

    @IronCladChicken Er... if they publish on PC?
  • schizoslayer #62 6 months ago

    If "Only" 50,000 people bought my game I'd be doing a happy dance. Funny thing perspective.
  • PostieDoc #63 6 months ago

    @Blitzkraig PC gaming is dieing off?
    Just look at the sales for games like The Witcher 2, Football Manager 2012, Skyrim, Civilisation V, Minecraft (some 4 million people have played it so far?).
    Take your console fanboy bullshit and shove it.
  • magnolia_fan Verified "Somewhat-Creative Director", Domaginarium #64 6 months ago

    As an Indie developer I have to say I'd be more than happy if my game sold "only" 50,000 copies. That would make the difference between my tiny company staying afloat or sinking... oh well...
  • magnolia_fan Verified "Somewhat-Creative Director", Domaginarium #65 6 months ago

    @schizoslayer My thoughts exactly, I just posted almost the same thing
  • TackyCheeba #66 6 months ago

    I don't buy games if they're shit, full stop.

    @Blitzkraig..You are a NOB, full stop.
  • bad09 #67 6 months ago

    So the Ubi trolling has been from both ends this week it seems with some twat from their free to play Ghost Recon no one is really interested in calling everyone pirates to, apparently that's why they scrapped Future Soldier (in the most awful way of telling customers the actually they never announced it...on the forum THEY set up for the game on PC...).

    http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/11/23/ghost-recon-online-being-free-to-play-is-a-counter-to-piracy-says-ubisoft-producer/

    They need to go I mean it.They are constantly insulting the customer base now, they confuse us with what DRM they will screw people with, the quality is poor when we do finally get games. Piracy or not their attitude just stinks it is absolutely no shock to me as a consumer that no legitmate gamers buy their games absolutely terrible company with no real clue on how to sell to "customers" at all it seems.

    If all you are gonna do is publically "bitch" to and about consumers and treat THEM like crap with DRMs and late poorly ported titles or these little trolls telling us we are pirates (depsite many of us shouting to you "CHANGE AND WE'LL BUY!!" ) just sod off to the consoles. Please. Go on, we honestly will not miss you anymore and you seem a lost cause. Bye bye now we all have end of year sales and need to worry about throwing money at other games makers..better games makers, with better PR mouthpieces than you bunch of fools.

    You deserve everything you get and I look forward to the day you get off the platform (no doubt you'll claim because of piracy), that one single PC gamer spends with you is a crime to gaming even bigger than your shitty DRM.
    Edited by bad09 at 24/11/11 @ 02:28
  • Zaiz #68 6 months ago

    Ubi came into this generation on the laurels of their excellent performance last gen(Prince of Persia, their military shooters) and...yeah. This gen? Trash in comparison.
  • sayfmh #69 6 months ago

    That is really sad, I was actually looking forward to buy it, I play PC games not only because they have significantly better graphics but in India they are really cheaper, priced Rs.499-999(~US$10-$20) while a console game cost around Rs.2499(~$50).
  • Zomeguy #70 6 months ago

    Why all this PC hate? It is as easy to pirate with a chipped console as with a PC.
  • aphex187 #71 6 months ago

    And there we have it again, another developer using the PC Piracy get out card! Someone link this pleb to one of the many torrent sites uploading PS3/360/Wii etc games please because he's obviously living under a stone.
  • WickedDeeJ #72 6 months ago

    Let's be completely honest though. He's probably right, though not for the reasons he thinks he is. He's right because at this point in time, Ubisoft have literally spent years torpedoing their reputation with PC gamers through bad DRM policies that a lot of us simply don't pay any attention to anything they put out. In my case, on any platform. Don't care about "Assassin's Creed", don't care about "From Dust", don't care about "I am Alive" etc.

    I don't buy Ubisoft games. I don't pirate them either, I just don't play them. I would suspect I am not the only PC gamer out there who feels this way.
  • varkdm #73 6 months ago

    Its their loss, deny yourself the biggest single gaming market.. deny yourself a nice big pot of profits.
  • mrblonde #74 6 months ago

    @varkdm do really think they would all be letting the pc market decline if there was profit to be made, pots of it as you said?
    Edited by mrblonde at 25/11/11 @ 10:37
  • varkdm #75 6 months ago

  • Ahskay #76 6 months ago

    @kangarootoo

    Is that the reason why the torrent forums are full of cry babies that can't get their versions to work and don't even know what unwrapping a file means and have no clue how to use a keygenerator?

    Saying only; Download pirated video game. Won't work, not in the slightest bit. Your parents and you are wrong in that bit.
    Edited by Ahskay at 25/11/11 @ 16:18