EndWar likely to trail on PCs

Ubisoft Shanghai creative director says piracy is preventing desktop edition from arriving day-and-date with other versions.

The prevalence of illegal file sharing on the PC platform has given developers and publishers cause to enact drastic measures to protect their games from being stolen. This year alone has seen cases such as Crytek abandoning PC exclusivity; Codemasters, Atari, and others directly going after consumers; and EA implementing digital rights management software invasive enough to spark a class-action lawsuit.

For Ubisoft and its upcoming Tom Clancy-inspired real-time strategy game EndWar, the focus appears to have shifted from prevention to mitigation. In an interview with VideoGaming247, Ubisoft Shanghai creative director Michael de Plater revealed that the PC edition of EndWar will likely trail the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games due to illegal file sharing.

"To be honest, if PC wasn't pirated to hell and back, there'd probably be a PC version coming out the same day as the other two," said de Plater. "But at the moment, if you release the PC version, essentially what you're doing is letting people have a free version that they rip off instead of a purchased version. Piracy's basically killing PC."

EndWar won't be the first time Ubisoft has postponed the PC edition of a multiplatform game. Both 2006's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and its 2007 sequel saw PC editions arrive months after their console counterparts. This year, Ubisoft released an enhanced PC edition of its best-selling Assassin's Creed, a full five months after the game debuted on the 360 and PS3. Even still, Ubisoft was plagued by piracy issues for that release, eventually suing a disc-replication firm for leaking the game onto the Internet two months before its street date.

For more on Ubisoft's EndWar, check out GameSpot's latest preview from last week. Retailers are currently expecting the game to arrive on the Xbox 360, PS3, DS, and PSP during the first week of November, with the PC edition following in February.

246 Comments

  • VK001thunder

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 2:37 pm PT

    i want for PC

  • joshy294

    Posted Dec 10, 2008 7:57 pm PT

    when will they release this game for pc?? this was the one game i wanted so bad...!!!!!

  • Lukemaneiro

    Posted Dec 2, 2008 12:35 pm PT

    Piracy is not a bad thing. Think about it. It has existed for centuries and it has helped companies improve themselves overall.

    They need to LEARN with piracy and try to LIVE with it, not avoid it. You can't get rid of piracy. Companies need to adapt themselves to it. Find a way to sell games, give people real convincing reasons to buy your product.

    If they don't realize that ... well, let's just say we gamers are doomed.

  • Lukemaneiro

    Posted Dec 2, 2008 12:31 pm PT

    God, Xbox 360 pirating is growing larger and larger every day ... why is the PC delayed instead ?

    If piracy was the real matter over here, those companies would be making games for PS3.

    About pirating in general ... I live in Brazil. You wouldn't believe what are the costs for a PS3 / 360 original game. Price goes up from the U.S. $60 to $150 ... All a bunch of taxes. We have no choice. Whenever I go to the US I buy as many games as I can, but we just can't spend the money equivalent to a NEW CONSOLE to buy TWO GAMES.

  • Hermes33

    Posted Nov 19, 2008 10:09 am PT

    Great post Gwarpup, couldn't agree more! Well it looks like a good rule of thumb to follow is we know when Michael de Plater is lying because his lips are moving. After reading this, I'm actually GLAD they didn't manage to finish the PC version yet and missed out on the busy Christmas sales period. Oh sorry, WHAT sales? "Piracy's basically killing PC", sorry Michael, I forgot...

  • MrLions

    Posted Nov 6, 2008 10:17 pm PT

    >_> Do they even know you can pirate 360 games....aswell...

  • Merc_Scar

    Posted Nov 5, 2008 9:12 pm PT

    You know what. I think I am gonna pirate this just to piss them off. They pissed me off by delaying the ONE game I wanted the most out of this year, so F them.

  • Gwarpup

    Posted Nov 2, 2008 2:05 pm PT

    This story is getting old. Its so much easier to pirate on XBOX than on PC. On PC a cracking group has to crack a game before they can put it online. But XBOX has no copy protection. Anyone with a Modchip, which is SOOOoo easy to get, can immediatly on release day find it online and download it. PC gamers need to wait a week or two for the game to be cracked. Searh online and you'll always see the XBOX version appear before PC. If this was their logic, theyd only be making PS3 versions which hasnt been cracked yet. XBOX is the most pirated system around, but because it has such a huge playerbase, the percentage of pirates isnt as noticeable. Oh PC pirated games cant play multiplayer online games, they cant login to the servers. But guess what? XBOX pirated games dont have that problem, because again.. there is NO copy protection. And Endwar is mostly an online game. Therefore PC pirating it wont do any good. Same with Left 4 Dead, and just like COD4 before it. Games that emphasize online play dont get pirated on PC, other than maybe to test them out. Anyone addicted will want to buy it and go online. Now kill the piracy BS!

  • fantasyx92

    Posted Oct 21, 2008 6:29 pm PT

    yup PC version is gonna suck, look at the intelligence of these guys. Delay the game so it wont be stolen, they'll probably pirate it because they're sick of waiting for it to release

  • TankGun

    Posted Oct 20, 2008 10:02 am PT

    rgame1 I hope you know PC's will always win over Consoles due to the fact that you can update a PC and not a console. You jsut made your self seem like an ideot and screwed your self over buddy.

  • schinkinator

    Posted Oct 13, 2008 7:22 pm PT

    to rgame1 how is it better? Pc gaming pushes the visual graphics that eventually get passed down to consoles a year or two later

  • 42316

    Posted Oct 12, 2008 12:19 pm PT

    rgame1 = prick

  • jeremy2

    Posted Oct 11, 2008 12:35 pm PT

    This is totally stupid and misplaced, all this is doing is punishing PC Gamers pirates are not going to be able to do the primary function of this game, multiplayer. like Battlefield 2, yes there is a single player but its 10% of the gameplay the people that really want to play it will buy it

  • Hyork

    Posted Oct 11, 2008 7:25 am PT

    Ignoring the obvious attempt to start some kind of flame war... an increasing number of industry leaders are seeing the console to be the one that will die out first, in favour of a more multi-media device. Its going in a cycle. PCs spawned the technology for consoles, and in time consoles are becomming more and more like pc's. Don't believe? The PS3 now has: a keyboard, a hard-drive, an internet connection, and install times. What you'll eventually see is a PC in a console shaped box, with console branding, but at the core it'll still be pc gaming.

  • rgame1 posted Oct 10, 2008 6:52 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    rgame1

    Posted Oct 10, 2008 6:52 am PT (hide)

    wicked. The sooner PC gaming dies, the better.

  • Aus_AR

    Posted Oct 10, 2008 6:48 am PT

    I dunno about the sequel. but Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter was released later than the 360 & PS3 versions because it was developed by a different studio. not because of piracy.

    also, there is a lot of piracy on consoles, it's not just the PC that is plagued with piracy.

  • crucifix401

    Posted Oct 10, 2008 2:01 am PT

    The simplest solution is for the different publishers to get together and invest in developing proper copy protection. Something that secures their work without causing issues for the customer. Personally the only problem I have is the delay to titles. I play a LOT of games and choose to buy them to support the industry. I'm happy to pay and happy to put up with the protection on the title as long as it doesn't mess with my machine or game experiance.

  • szeboro

    Posted Oct 10, 2008 1:35 am PT

    To at least slower piracy make all PC games a must activate online or by phone to even play te single player of it and put a security tool to...

  • Hyork

    Posted Oct 10, 2008 1:32 am PT

    Consoles are not immune to piracy, not in the slightest. The PsP has been pirated up to the eyeballs, and wasn't there a story a week ago about a guy being sued by Activision for having $60,000 worth of pirated CoD4 copies? That's a lot of piracy right there. Valve has shown everyone how to do PC games sales right, but no-one seems to pay any attention. And anyway, if people stop making PC games, the pirates will just move onto the next whipping boy: consoles. The problem will never go away, just move around.

  • diped posted Oct 10, 2008 12:25 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    diped

    Posted Oct 10, 2008 12:25 am PT (hide)

    This is an extremely smart move by Ubisoft.

  • Hector_01

    Posted Oct 10, 2008 12:14 am PT

    Piracy is bad. Period. We all know this. But making piracy the excuse for delaying a game doesnt sound plausible in my opinion. I mean, what be the cause to delay it cause of piracy when the fact of the matter is, its gonna be pirated no matter what day you release it? It just seems like an odd excuse for delaying a game. I honestly think, and like many other people are saying is the pc version of the game just isnt ready yet. Either way, piracy is pissing me off cause i really think that the quality of pc games are getting worse because of it.

  • CureForLiving

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 11:50 pm PT

    Want to end piracy stop releasing games on the PC, its not a enjoyable truth but its the truth. If you want to make money first release it on the consoles and then release it on the pc, but then don't complain when people pirate!

  • Jose_Rizal

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 11:11 pm PT

    "wexmajor
    Piracy is a non-issue if you make a decent game. Placing the blame on pirates is just incompetent angry morons lashing out."

    >>>The better the game, the more likely it will be pirated. Why would I waste my time downloading and wasting space in my hardrive for a game that I would not enjoy/play? And this moron is angry because this could start a trend that all publishers and developers might follow especially if Ubisoft find this strategy successful.


    ""You have a pirated WORKING game in your 'puter but you still bought the SAME GAME after playing it. Yeah right."
    Actually IDIOT a lot of people do that. What the hell is wrong with you that you can't even believe that?"

    >>>Because this idiot won't buy something of the same thing if that game is FREE (which is actually not) and perfectly working fine. Any idiot knows that.

  • Sins-of-Mosin

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 9:04 pm PT

    X3Warrior - I would love for torrents to be shut down. Piracy as a whole was better before every clown could get stuff. I blame Napster for starting the whole 'ease' of getting stuff.

  • alik360

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 8:58 pm PT

    I really don't get this rule: if you don't like a game then download it !!! what next ? if you don't like a car then steal it !! I don't blame the pirates.. I blame the pc gamer who downloads pirated games and then cry why PC games get canceled or delayed.

  • hartsickdiscipl

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 7:48 pm PT

    markop2003

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 4:15 pm PT

    @Thigeic

    "Alot of people didn't buy COD4 on PC cause the price is stupidly high for a PC game"


    How does this make any sense? Why should pc games be any less expensive than their console counterparts? PC games typically have better graphics, better multiplayer options, better modding communities, and therefore longer lifespan than console versions. If anything, the pc versions should be more expensive. Look at what 2k sports is doing with the pc version of nba 2k9. it's coming out in less than 2 weeks, and will be, from what i've read.. an almost direct xbox 360 port. They're selling it for 20 Bucks! That's amazing, but i think they're onto something. They see that EA abandoned the pc this year, and know that people will pay 20 bucks for a game with a great reputation (like the 2k series), just to have a basketball sim on the pc. Charging 20, or even 30 bucks will cut down on piracy as well. very smart move.

  • 0Silverwolf0

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 7:29 pm PT

    Most of the guys on here pretty much hit the nail on the head. If a developer makes a game with good online play, people will buy it to play it online. If a developer makes a pure single player game, many people aren't going to be willing to pay a $100+ price tag for

  • gigabytekid

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 6:43 pm PT

    The best comments ive seen on game spot so far.

  • chico129

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 5:27 pm PT

    Well even if the pirates don't get stopped by legal action or shutting down of sites, they'll still be screwed, as developers will just stop making PC versions if it gets much worse...

  • the_emporer

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 4:34 pm PT

  • X3Warrior

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 4:08 pm PT

    To try to lower piracy levels, just attack the source: the sites where games are pirated from. Bribing people who help run the internet to shut down piracy sites such as The Pirate Bay would actually lower piracy levels, rather than use DRM, because where would pirates get the software? It would be a battle, because determined pirates would launch new sites, but they might give up in the end.

    Also many pirate sites install malware along the pirated games, so it would be stupid to pirate stuff.

  • Syzgygy

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 3:39 pm PT

    Lower the cost of games, you'll see more people buying the games. Online availability matters too, just look at Steam and D2D for example, these places are successful and in growth. These are the paths you need to explore, not anti-piracy implementations in software. The reason why people started pirating in the first place was because of the costs.

    If you lower the prices even slightly I'm sure more people would edge towards buying it, which would justify the price-cut in total.

  • ProjecktRev

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 3:33 pm PT

    looks like a good game. Can't wait!

  • xempler

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 3:29 pm PT

    Hey Ubisoft here's the secret formula to deal with the piracy issue:

    1) Make a decent game.
    2) Make online play worthwhile

    It's that simple.

    For example, there's a reason why games like Diablo 2 is still selling and people still play after 10 years.

    You can pirate almost any game but you will need to buy the game for a valid CD key to play online....if it's worthwhile.

  • hashmanalum

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 3:08 pm PT

    I don't know... the piracy will never stop, even if they create an uber-software protection system there's always someone who will break it...
    They should try thinking outside the box because companies ALWAYS try to prevent piracy and ALWAYS fail,
    one way or the other.

  • raahsnavj

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 2:26 pm PT

    Why bother with the PC at all then?

  • rogue81

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 2:25 pm PT

    Do you really think Ubi would give a rats ass about saying "the game needs more time to get it right"? They don't need to concoct an anti-piracy story to delay anything. There's no reason for them to lie.

  • Silentme

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 2:12 pm PT

    so they wait a few months to release it after consoles. this only lets 360 pirates go up. Im sure they wont bring this up though. By the time it is released on PC. We wont care about the game anymore as there will be new stuff to play.

  • wexmajor

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 2:03 pm PT

    I never knew that Gamespot was so full of retards and corporate tools. Piracy is a non-issue if you make a decent game. Look at the Witcher and Sins of a Solar Empire. Placing the blame on pirates is just incompetent angry morons lashing out.

    "You have a pirated WORKING game in your 'puter but you still bought the SAME GAME after playing it. Yeah right."

    Actually IDIOT a lot of people do that. What the hell is wrong with you that you can't even believe that?

  • Jose_Rizal

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 1:46 pm PT

    "pongley
    To a certain extent I agree with downloading games. I only bought it (Crysis) after I downloaded it, really liked it and found it at Game."


    You have a pirated WORKING game in your 'puter but you still bought the SAME GAME after playing it. Yeah right.

  • Jose_Rizal

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 1:38 pm PT

    Or maybe people already bought COD4 for X360 and PS3 thus cannibalizing the sales for PC. Or maybe their computers can't run the minimum requirements for the game

  • Bozanimal

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 1:36 pm PT

    Epic never had any business-halting issues with its Unreal Tournament series sales, and it was DRM-free.

  • Bozanimal

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 1:35 pm PT

    Epic never had any business-halting issues with its Unreal Tournament series sales, and it was DRM-free.

  • henrynarits

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 1:30 pm PT

    if i get a xbox i will download halo 3....

  • markop2003

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 1:15 pm PT

    @Thigeic

    Alot of people didn't buy COD4 on PC cause the price is stupidly high for a PC game

  • markop2003

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 1:12 pm PT

    Why don't they just use STEAM?

    It cuts piracy to pretty much 0

  • Jose_Rizal

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 1:01 pm PT

    If these people can afford to upgrade their gaming PC(s) every few months for their uber graphics which is way more expensive than the actual game, I don't know how this "hardcore gamers" cannot afford the games.

  • lordreaven

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 12:14 pm PT

    The only games i download are very old games, i'm talking 1998-2000, The games you can't find anymore. other than that i buy them.

advertisement

Hot Stories

Newsmakers

Featured Stories

Submit News

Got tips? Send them in!

Related Game

Tom Clancy's EndWar Boxshot
Tom Clancy's EndWar

Game Stats

  • Rank:
    1,404 of 77,100
    (up by 37)
    PC Rank:
    502 of 12,572
    Highest Rank:
    4 in 2009
    Tracking:
    2,402 Track It»
    Wishlists:
    1,413 Wish It»
  • Users Now Playing:
    86
  • Top 5 User Tags:
    1. endwar
    2. tom clancy
    3. ubisoft
    4. rts
    5. tom clancys endwar
  • Teen Rating Description

    Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language. Learn more

Full Game Details »Close
Also on

Recent News

See All News »

Site Blogs