Crysis 2 Leak Online: Why You Should Care and Support Crytek
Crysis was a groundbreaking shooter that set the bar for graphics in its genre so high that no FPS released after it has been able to surpass it to this day. It was an open-world game that gave you plenty of freedom with stunning visual effects, and it was a defining game for the PC platform. Three years later, its sequel Crysis 2 is set to be released in a month, but - the publisher EA and the developers at Crytek are facing a huge problem; an early beta build of the PC version of the game has leaked online.
What are the consequences of this? They are terrible. I can't imagine what Crytek is feeling right now, especially since they suffered from piracy with Crysis. They were open about their piracy estimates being 20 to 1 on PC. The game sold 3 million copies, which is fantastic compared to some other FPS titles on the platform.
As we speak, the game is quickly spreading across torrent sites, reducing potential revenue for Crytek even before the game's sales start. Given that the game has a larger budget than Crysis, this news is devastating for the publisher EA, which is undoubtedly shutting down all YouTube videos they find and doing everything they can to stop the spread of this information. But you know how they say, once it's online, it’s over.
So what should Crytek and EA do now? Should they delay the game's release? Or release it early to minimize damage? If they delay the release, they will lose money; if they release it early, it may affect reviews. So for them, it's a no-win situation.
We received an official response from EA, and for obvious reasons, they are not too happy about this situation.
"Crytek is already aware that an early, unfinished build of Crysis 2 has appeared on torrent sites. Crytek and EA are deeply upset by this news. We urge fans of the game to support the game and the development team and wait for the release and purchase the polished final version on March 22."
"Crysis 2 is still in development and promises to be a unique action blockbuster thanks to the signature Nanosuit that will allow you to become a weapon to protect New York from an alien invasion. Piracy continues to harm the PC market and the PC development community."
Reading EA's response, there’s a dreadful feeling that they are depressed and begging people not to download and support the game. Well, the good news is that the torrent version only supports DX 9, meaning you will miss out on the best parts if you don’t purchase the original game.
And when people buy new hardware, the first game they may try is Crysis, and such enthusiasts will surely buy the retail version that includes all the goodies. But that’s just one perspective; most players don’t own high-end PCs, and if they are offered to download the game a month early, they are likely to do it.
Do you expect such people to pay for the game later if they like it? It's hard to say, as it falls under ethics, which is difficult to define as a whole.
We at Gamersmint ask you to show some respect for Crytek, as they are one of the major developers providing great support to a platform like PC. If you’re making excuses to justify downloading, then don’t. We don't judge anyone. Just this incident could change PC gaming forever if it hasn’t already.
If I were working at Crytek right now, I would be understandably upset and furious. There’s absolutely no reason for Crytek or anyone else to support PC gaming if sales suffer because of pirated games. People need to see that it’s incredibly expensive to make games these days, and it's in the best interest of developers to go multi-platform.
They aren’t betraying you; they are giving many players a chance to play a game they’ve worked so hard on. If it sells well, in return, you will get much better games. PC isn't getting many games at all right now, and it’s mostly multi-platform, but when a game like Crysis releases, despite all these obstacles, it should be rewarded. Do you still want scary draconian DRM in games? If a game sells decently, no publisher will use such DRM.
Crysis 2 is undoubtedly the biggest PC release of this year, and a lot depends on its performance on the platform. Crytek went on record saying they have developed a game that is PC-first, and it will be "better" in every way for its console counterparts. In this day and age, when every developer is working towards Sony and Microsoft, developing their games for consoles, Crytek is one of the rare breeds of developers still supporting PC. Therefore, it’s the duty of every PC gamer to support them and buy their product so they can keep this trend going in the future.
The success of Crysis 2 on PC will also encourage EA to allocate more resources to future PC-specific projects, which, in turn, will create a better gaming experience for players. It’s a win-win situation for everyone, and we urge everyone not to fall prey to temptation like the rest and to support the game’s creators and enjoy it without guilt.
Moreover, as we mentioned, this is a beta build of the game and does not reflect the true power that Crysis 2 is capable of showing. The final game will come with DirectX 11 support and will obviously provide a much more polished and bug-free experience than this build. This build was never meant to be shown to the public, Crytek released it so they could improve the game and ensure gamers get the best product. Nonetheless, someone did not want this to happen and leaked it online, but we have a choice. A choice that will either ruin the good fate of the PC scene or impact the world by buying Crysis 2, thus thwarting the malicious plans to harm Crytek and PC gaming as a whole.
The fact is, if Crysis 2 sells poorly, it's only a matter of time before Crysis 3 becomes a console exclusive. Do you, as a PC gamer, want that? Crysis is a gem for PC gamers, and it should remain so. So pre-order this game right now and tell Crytek that YOU CARE.
