Starcraft II reduces incentive to pirate

Developer Blizzard has told MCV that the work it has put into refining its online network Battle.net is part of the reason that recent release Starcraft II has proved so resistant to piracy.

For World of Warcraft we have been able to work well around the piracy issue and we think we’ll be able to do the same with StarCraft II,” said Michael Ryder, vice president and executive managing director for Blizzard’s international operations.

The Battle.net solution provides several things. It provides better continuity for the players and it gives them a stronger way to participate in an overall Blizzard community.

But what also goes hand-in-hand with the Battle.net solution is that we work really hard to offer a tailored, regional business model, so it reduces the incentives to go to a pirated solution.”

Battle.net is fully localised for 14 different territories and the firm’s European base in France boasts an impressive multilingual workforce. Blizzard’s titles, World of Warcraft specifically, are global smash hits. And through its ability to engage with audiences worldwide, Blizzard has built a community that is willing to pay for its products.

To read MCV’s full interview with Blizzard, click here.