World of Goo piracy at 90 per cent

By Robert Purchese Published 17 November, 2008

Only 1 in 10 buy the acclaimed PC game.

Developer 2D Boy has said that 90 per cent of people playing its excellent PC game World of Goo are using pirated versions.

Speaking on its blog, the developer arrived at this figure by dividing the known sales figures by the number of unique IPs submitting high scores, and ended up with roughly 0.1.

Variables such as dynamic IPs and multiple installations could deflate this number, although further research showed, on average, 1.3 unique IPs and 1.15 unique installations per person.

Of course, there are also factors that could inflate the figure - such as not everybody choosing to submit scores, or multiple installations at offices on the same IP, where games are shared as easily as germs.

Interestingly, 2D Boy found no difference in the number of people pirating World of Goo to the number of people pirating Ricochet (by Reflexive), which shipped with DRM and publicly aired its findings recently.

"We can't draw any conclusions based on two data points, but I'm hoping that others will release information about piracy rates so that everyone could see if DRM is the waste of time and money that we think it is," reads the conclusion.

Head over to our World of Goo review to find out more.

World of Goo is due for release on WiiWare in December.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (59) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Trafford #1 3 years ago

    So much for the honesty box.
    shame

  • makeamazing #2 3 years ago

    So i guess that shows non DRM doesnt work either...pirates will use any excuse... and claiming DRM is the reason they pirate is just an excuss (knew this anyway)... ah hate pirates.!
    Edited by 1 at 17/11/08 @ 09:41

  • EzyRyder #3 3 years ago

    indeed. Both!

    Such a great game too and from a small developer - this is the one that hurts the most.
    Edited by 1 at 17/11/08 @ 09:42

  • Biggles #4 3 years ago

    Bad EG! The figure is actually 82% or 1 in 5. Fix the article or go work for the Daily Mail.

  • Dizzy #5 3 years ago

    Well they will hopefully make money from Wii, PSN and XBLA versions.

  • DFawkes #6 3 years ago

    I thought this was freeware anyway? Though it was ages ago I played it, when I'm sure it was a competition entry of some description, and significantly less of a proper game. On a PCFormat cover disc.

  • MORZTAN #7 3 years ago

    I motherf*cking hate it when people play/watch pirated games/movies!

    I'm being a bit hipocritical(?) as I helped off the Amiga back in the day, when i didn't know better. But now I stear completely clear from everything pirated.

    How can people moan about there not being enough quality titles out there, when even the "cheap" quality titles gets pirated, thus giving less money to the developers.

    Plus my spelling sucks today!

  • stodgypudding #8 3 years ago

    I bought this but I do admit to sharing it with some friends. I'm absolutly sure that these people would never have bought the game or indeed bothered playing it if I hadn't given it to them.

  • systems #9 3 years ago

    Scum are scum. They'll find their way around anything without paying if it's easy. Thankfully some scum are also lazy so if you make something difficult they can't be arsed and don't bother.

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #10 3 years ago

    This is why im starting to think PC versions of games generally land later than the console versions, cos they dont want console sales to get diluted with people playing PC version on pirate, i know people pirate console games but it aint anywhere near this 80%+

    This is especially shamefull tho for the PC community when the game is like £10 , if there are any pirates out there that always defend PC as the best games machine, guess what, your the reason the PC format is dying.

  • StooMonster #11 3 years ago

    Pirates who want something for nothing will always be there, but their whiny self-justifications (e.g. it woz the DRM wot made me do it) should be ridiculed and these people should look at themselves and realize that they are simply cheap cnuts that the rest of us have to pay for.

  • Vistrix #12 3 years ago

    Im sorry but this makes no sense!!

    95% of ISP customers have a dynamic IP address, I've had 4 different IP addresses over the period of a week.

    These figures can easily be totally innaccurate.

  • The_Inquisitor #13 3 years ago

    I'm going to buy the game now, I don't generally buy games for my PC as I don't use it for gaming, but everybody has to do their bit.

    I just realised the game is out on the Wii, I'll get it on that instead.
    Edited by 1 at 17/11/08 @ 11:41

  • Meho #14 3 years ago

    Just to be clear here: Wii version has also been pirated already, I should know, I have it installed on my Wii while I am patiently waiting for the European release so I can buy it.

    Also, I think that the tone of some of the comments while understandably bitter is clouding the issue. The point here is that this is a DRM-free game that has seen the same rate of piracy as the previous game from the same dev/publisher that came with DRM. Meaning that DRM is nigh useless. Meaning that, bizarrely, 2D boy may have made more money from this game because they didn't spend money and resources on DRM tech.

    Having said all that, PLEASE go out and buy World of Goo beacuse it is a fantastic title and you'll not only be buying a splendid game but also helping a good cause.

  • JonFE #15 3 years ago

    Such a shame. I'm hoping that the percentages are a bit off, with dynamic IP's and multiple installations (such as in the office and at home) getting in the way, but even so, that's too much.

    What's even worst is that some of these people are obviously enjoying the free ride enough to get a high score and cheekily submit it, yet think nothing of its small innovative developer :(
    Edited by 1 at 17/11/08 @ 10:12

  • AlvySinger #16 3 years ago

    All I can say is, cheap bastards.

    Against all the triple-A titles out at the moment, World of Goo is the game that has sucked up the most of my time and is more than worth the £10 or so ($20) I paid.

    Stealing from someone like EA (with their hateful approach to DRM) is one thing but pirating an indie game is inexcusable.

    There'll be a special circle of hell devoted to people like your, or - if there are space issues - you will have to bunk up with the scum who don't leave a note after denting someone else car with their ludicrously oversized 4x4.

  • StooMonster #17 3 years ago

    Vistrix: with most providers you only usually get a different IP address when you hardware reset broadband modem, so I guess turning yours on/off four times in one week is a little unusual.

    My ISP only reassigns my dynamic IP address about twice a year, even when I power on/off. But I guess just because yours works that way means the rest of world does too...

    If you read the post on 2D BOY's site they explain that they account for people with multiple dynamic IP addresses, because there is a unique player ID too:

    76% of players have contacted the server from 1 IP
    13% from 2 IPs
    5% from 3 IPs
    3% from 4 IPs
    1% from 5 IPs
    1% from 6 IPs
    1% from more than 6

    Source: http://2dboy.com/

  • asphaltcowboy #18 3 years ago

    I bought a copy!

  • Skeletor #19 3 years ago

    High piracy numbers on the PC...and yet the game was MORE PROFITABLE ON THE PC than it was on the regioncoded Wii Ware channel! How come? I guess sometimes it's still better to have some freeriders enjoying your game without paying than shelling out serious royalties to Nintendo...

  • makeamazing #20 3 years ago

    Stealing from someone like EA (with their hateful approach to DRM) is one thing but pirating an indie game is inexcusable.

    Why is it ok? Because they use DRM or because they are massive? Its not really fair to steal from anyone is it? EA have just announced they are getting rid of 100's of jobs, now Im not saying this is due to piracy.. but if a company loses money, you can bet that many of the low end, low paid workers are the first to lose their jobs... this was the same argument that people made about record companies. Its sad people dont realise that its the people getting low salaries that are hit. With Indies the problem is made even worse because they are the bosses and making no or little money :(

  • mkreku #21 3 years ago

    Yeah, I bought this for myself, but I also let my girlfriend have her own copy.. So I guess I am partly to blame :/

  • Canyarion #22 3 years ago

    I bet most of those pirates were Europeans, who couldn't get the game on WiiWare.
    Luckily that has changed. Now I'll get it on WW as soon as possible.

  • siro #23 3 years ago

    makeamazing: He didn't say stealing from EA was ok, only that doing so from Indie devs bodes even worse. Just like stealing rice from a starving child in west africa is morally worse than someone running into your garden to grab a sausage from the barbecue.

  • Grom #24 3 years ago

    Why the fuck should publishers and developers 'trust' PC gamers if this is what happens with even non-DRM games. They're just going to keep trying different DRM schemes until they hit on one that works. They won't give a shit if genuine purchasers are inconvenienced because they're still going to have a better genuine/pirated ratio.

    And when you get down to the visceral, non-logical basis to the argument, that almost matters more than actual higher sales. No-one likes their work being stolen, and if they feel like they are shafting a lot of potential pirates, they won't care about a few legit gamers being harmed.

  • The-Bodybuilder #25 3 years ago

    Wow, so much anger....
    Yet I'm willing to bet that the majority here are pirates. Buying pirates games, movies heck even music.

  • the_dudefather #26 3 years ago

    @The Bodybuilder
    'Buying pirates games, movies heck even music. '

    who the hell buys pirate stuff?

  • Gearskin #27 3 years ago

    I bought this on STEAM right before it was pulled from our territory. Great game!

  • The-Bodybuilder #28 3 years ago

    >"No-one likes their work being stolen, and if they feel like they are shafting a lot of potential pirates, they won't care about a few legit gamers being harmed. "

    So how are legit owners who in your own words are "inconvenienced" now "hurt" because of DRM?

  • Triggerhappytel #29 3 years ago

    This is bloody awful; it's made all the worse given that its from a small developer. Maybe the PC is beyond saving?

  • makeamazing #30 3 years ago

    @siro... he said Stealing from someone like EA (with their hateful approach to DRM) is one thing) but...

    To me that suggests he thinks it ok to steal from EA, but not from indies.. Im just making the point that stealing from any company is wrong :).. I see the point your making.. perhaps it could have been better worded to suggest that ;)

    @TriggerHappy... I think its going that way unfortunately.

    One thing that irrates me about pirates is its bad enough that they steal the software, but when they then come complaining the product doesnt work as they want it, or have as many features as they would like, and also sap up LOTS of free support time from the developers... thats when i get real upset.

  • Katsumoto #31 3 years ago

    There has always been awful piracy. Why would it only now kill pc gaming? You're all like a broken record that's been playing for two decades.

  • MrChuckles #32 3 years ago

    If i were them I would just send the player an 'online key' in email when they download a copy. without that, they lose any online features of the game. Also, they know which online keys have actually been sent out and can shut out all the rest.

    Then, make all the online features of the game the really cool ones, and make the game just 'ok' offline.

    If people complain that they aren't online these days, then they are obviously living in the past.

  • the_dudefather #33 3 years ago

    @Katsumoto

    its much easier to download stuff to your pc in a few hours than to find someone with the game you want and COPY DAT FLOPPY

  • Katsumoto #34 3 years ago

    True! You'd be surprised how many of "teh floppies" were doing the rounds in the average school playground, back in "the day", though.

  • Triggerhappytel #35 3 years ago

    Katsumoto - "There has always been awful piracy. Why would it only now kill pc gaming? You're all like a broken record that's been playing for two decades."

    Because now, more than ever, traditional PC developers are abandoning the platform in favour of the consoles - on many multiformat releases PC games are already a token gesture, and if this level of piracy continues I can see developers deeming the platform unworthy of the effort and abandoning it entirely.

  • eddiep #36 3 years ago

    I own the game, having pre-ordered it two months ago. I installed it:
    - at the job
    - at home
    - on my parents' computer
    I'm the only one playing it (my parents find it too complicated :)
    You do the math.

  • Katsumoto #37 3 years ago

    Math..ssss

    /peep show

    @trigger - well, I hope you're wrong, I really do. But in fairness, we have seen these concerns being raised at this level for the last couple of years, but there hasn't really been any noticeable drop in the amount of pc games (with a few high profile exceptions, GoW2 etc). I'll remain optimistic. I can't handle gamepads!
    Edited by 1 at 17/11/08 @ 11:25

  • saku_luk #38 3 years ago

    This game looks great, but as I use my PC less and less for gaming I would prefer a PS3 version :(

  • jim1975 #39 3 years ago

    where i live this is called pissing on your chips

  • penhalion #40 3 years ago

    I'm puzzled by this. It's been known for a long time that the conversion rate from playing a demo to actually buying a product (on the internet) is about 10% or less. Correct me if I'm wrong here but, doesn't that mean that 90% of people who play an internet download game don't go on to buy it.

    I've sold games on the internet before and, while the returns are not great. They are fine for supporting a small team of developers (I'm talking 3 - 4 here). However, the returns were never going to be enough to support the likes of an EA team or even allow for expansion of a 4 man team. Perhaps the XNA community games and (when sony and nintendo eventually follow suite) sony's version and nintendo's versions will finally put things back in perspective.

  • PameBoy #41 3 years ago

    Oh dear. We *just had* a massive barney about his on the RPS site. Did we really need to spread the fire, EG?

  • Chufty #42 3 years ago

    I know someone who pirated this game specifically because of the debacle surrounding the Steam territories. That World of Nonsense probably didn't help.

  • chrisjm #43 3 years ago

    take that S from your LEGOS and stick it in your MATH

  • skillian #44 3 years ago

    It's the sort of game you just have to share with someone, and in my case it meant passing it on to my mum and my brother, neither of whom would have ever bought the game. That doesn't really help the devs though, unless they bring out Goo 2. Sorry 2D Boy.

    Still, they clearly would not be making 900% more profit if this was released in the days before bittorrent, and they haven't gone bust yet, so that is something. Plus, there must be a little bit inside of them as artists that is secretly happy their game has reached a hugely higher of number of people than it would have done without piracy.

  • Mr.Gordons #45 3 years ago

    DRM only affects the legal owner...

  • smoison #46 3 years ago

    The game is overpriced on PC.

  • UncleLou #47 3 years ago

    The game is overpriced on PC.

    What? 20 US$ for one of the most original and polished games this year. What a ridiculous statement.

  • andromeda #48 3 years ago

    this is sad, to see innovation not being justly rewarded. Please people, if you cant help yourself pinching from the big boys (EA etc) at least draw the line at small devcos!
    You wanna see a future populated only by yearly fifa and need for speed?

  • smoison #49 3 years ago

    I did not find the game that good.

    So for me it definitely was.

    Its the same price as some full price PC games (Ie Crysis: Warhead, 5 bucks less then PES:2009)

    If you have steam and have 5 bucks to spare I recommend getting 'Gravitron 2'.

    That game rocks.

  • UncleLou #50 3 years ago

    Not liking the game is not the same as finding it overpriced, is it.

    And I've paid more than twice as much (still less than the RRP) for Warhead (which is just an expansion), and certainly haven't seen PES anywhere for 20 USD.

  • thesonglessbird #51 3 years ago

    I bought it..thought about sending it over to a mate but I knew he wouldn't buy it. Had it been a non-indie game I would've done it, but the game cost what? a tenner? no excuse for pirating that really.

  • dsmx #52 3 years ago

    All pirates are cheap bastards and all pirates will pirate something if they can. Putting DRM on this game would of had no effect on the sales. The people who pirated it had no intention of every buying it also you can't buy it on steam in europe so what option do you have you either pirate it or don't play it in europe.

  • markopoloman #53 3 years ago

    Well, in all honesty I didn't think this was available to buy until the start of 2009!! I'm sure I read that it was put back to then?

    I am one of those NASTY people that downloaded the full version without paying - but also left a nice message on the 'pirate' site harking on about paying for the game when it was fully available. Maybe a few will?

    Having read this news today that the piracy level for the game is so high, and having realised that the full game is out, I headed straight over to the 2dboy website and payed for the full game. £13 and a half quid is nothing for such a fantastic game.

    My hands are now clean!

    and 2dboy have another purchase.

  • spekkeh #54 3 years ago

    What? It's going to be released on WiiWare in Europe as well? That's awesome!

  • markopoloman #55 3 years ago

    Well, in all honesty I didn't think this was available to buy until the start of 2009!! I'm sure I read that it was put back to then?

    I am one of those NASTY people that downloaded the full version without paying - but also left a nice message on the 'pirate' site harking on about paying for the game when it was fully available. Maybe a few will?

    Having read this news today that the piracy level for the game is so high, and having realised that the full game is out, I headed straight over to the 2dboy website and payed for the full game. £13 and a half quid is nothing for such a fantastic game.

    My hands are now clean!

    and 2dboy have another purchase.

  • UncleLou #56 3 years ago

    All pirates are cheap bastards and all pirates will pirate something if they can. Putting DRM on this game would of had no effect on the sales. The people who pirated it had no intention of every buying it also you can't buy it on steam in europe so what option do you have you either pirate it or don't play it in europe.


    You don't know that. In this absoluteness, the statement is the polar opposite of "everyone would have bought it", and just as speculative.*

    And you do have another option in Europe. Buy it from 2DBoy directly. Heck, you can even register your copy on Steam afterwards. Link. Looks like the site just went down, I guess they're getting lots of traffic because of all the news about this.


    *If DRM worked, of course, or if piracy magically didn't exist.
    Edited by 2 at 17/11/08 @ 15:20

  • Masarin #57 3 years ago

    Hm. I'm sure I'm not alone in buying the game from my laptop, in my case at work, and the using it on my laptop at home. Two completely different IP-numbers. Salty numbers that is.

  • the_mtfr #58 3 years ago

    All you smart-asses here hating everything called "pirate" think you're so righteous. Well you're just half. What you're saying is as silly as stating that all Arabs are terrorists. Some people install the game on more than one computer and they're treated as criminals? At least they bought the game, wtf. Then there's the people who count in billions as much as it may shock you cause you forgot about them, that can't afford to buy all their games, but I guess it's easier to just hate them all the same and call them criminals. These guys would never afford to buy the game anyway, even if protected by some infailible DRM. How much do you think a teacher or bus driver makes in Vietnam, Georgia or Sudan? And if someone replies that they should just not play the game at all, well it makes no difference to the dev since the game can be replicated ad infinitum, so why not? At least they should have this kind of joy in their life :)

    I agree with you though, when it comes to the other category. The ones that have all the money in the world, play pirate all day and couldn't be bothered to pay for anything in their lives, as long as they can take it for free, and don't give a shit if the game is made by EA or by Introspection for example. Yes I'd slam these fat asses.

    The concept of stealing shouldn't be applied in exactly the same way for games+music+etc. as for stealing apples, and the corporate suits should stop pushing their bullshit figures of millions $ losses, based on the amount of seeds+peers. Maybe half of them become their actual customers after all?

  • ColdShoulder #59 3 years ago

    If it was in the shopping channel on wii now instead of next month I might have been tempted to wait and pay for it. Too late now. What I still can do though is incourage actual sales by word of mouth as a result of playing this game. That's something they never take into account.