Valve's Gabe Newell has slammed copy protection on computer games – accusing some digital right management of 'wrapping negatives' around a user's experience.
Valve are one of the leading lights in gaming, and Newell's comments at GDC follow Ubisoft's decision to install a copy protection that requires an always on internet connection for the games to run.
"One thing that you hear us talk a lot about is entertainment as a service," said Newell.
"It's an attitude that says 'what have I done for my customers today?'
"It informs all the decisions we make, and once you get into that mindset it helps you avoid things like some of the Digital Rights Management problems that actually make your entertainment products worth less by wrapping those negatives around them."
Portal 2
Newell also made some bold claims around Portal 2 – stating that this is Valves' best game ever.
The original Portal was a massive critical success, introducing one of computing gaming's most memorable characters in GLaDOS and a fiendishly addictive series of puzzles.
"Portal really seemed to resonate," explained Newell.
"We got the signals that we wanted - this is what people liked; this is what people didn't like.
"And to us, it was like, 'Okay now we know how to take this big,' so that's what we're going to do with Portal 2."
Portal, Newell added, was "pretty clear, just internally" the best ever Valve game – and when the back catalogue includes legendary titles like Half Life, Half Life 2 and Left4Dead that's a pretty major statement.
Via CVG
Your comments (3) Click to add a new comment
menelaus
March 13th 2010
3. Yes, steam is not perfect but I like the fact that once your product key is registered to your account you never need enter it again.
I've lost count the number of times I've had games rendered obsolete because the manual with the product key has gone missing (coincidently just after my wife has had a spring clean). Which basically leaves me with a shiny coaster with a pretty picture on the front.
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watcherzero
March 13th 2010
2. Ironically they created one of the first DRM that require online activation and regular online checks.
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rimscar
March 12th 2010
1. 'what have I done for my customers today?'--should be stapled, chisled and branded into the foreheads of a whole host of companies that feature on here.
And that's why Gabe gets my cash on a regular basis
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