Nothing is as handsome as a secret - French proverb
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Angry Birds' Rovio is not angry with ‘piracy’
GAME DEVELOPER Rovio is fairly laid back about the risks of 'piracy', according to its CEO.
Speaking in Cannes in front of the music industry, Rovio's Mikael Hed said that there was a possibility that 'piracy' could help its business.
"We have some issues with piracy, not only in apps, but also especially in the consumer products. There is tons and tons of merchandise out there, especially in Asia, which is not officially licensed products," he said, according to a report at the Guardian.
"We could learn a lot from the music industry, and the rather terrible ways the music industry has tried to combat piracy."
The Guardian did not report on the response, but we imagine that it was uncomfortable. Hed added that Rovio did not agree with the hard nosed method of tackling 'piracy' that is favoured by other firms and industries, adding that he felt that taking 'pirates' to court was futile.
Actually, he added, 'piracy' can help the business, gaining it fans and exposure. "Piracy may not be a bad thing: it can get us more business at the end of the day," he explained.
"We took something from the music industry, which was to stop treating the customers as users, and start treating them as fans. We do that today: we talk about how many fans we have... If we lose that fanbase, our business is done, but if we can grow that fanbase, our business will grow." µ
Tags: Software
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I havent installed or played Angry birds since i played it for the first month after i got my HTC Evo when the game was new and fun. I think i made it to the 2nd round of eggs. BUT ANYWAY
Way to go Rovio, Yes you would prefer to make every last penny from those un licensed t-shirts but way to go realizing that alienating those potential customers will hurt you more that it will them, all the while having free advertising! But i must say i was into Angry Birds much more before the shirts/apparel was out there and it hasnt spurred any flashback interest as of yet but it was still a very fun game.
Piracy is just the symptom of bad customer service, there are 2 things the entertainment industry needs to do: http://www.shockandahh.com/2012/01/piracy-is-symptom-not-disease.html
the last thing a growing company wants to do is sue it's users and fans.
That's what big companies do :-)
I remember sitting down to view a movie in the Middle East a couple of years ago and a chop next to me said, "Have you seen this movie yet?". Since it was the first showing in that country I was surprised he asked that. Turns out he had downloaded it online and liked it so he came with his friends to watch it on the big screen.
When I listening to a song on the radio that I like, I buy it.
When music videos are released they often appear in full on US cable as a promotion. People who like it go out and buy it.
"...we talk about how many fans we have... If we lose that fanbase, our business is done, but if we can grow that fanbase, our business will grow."
Some years ago someone from M$ said: "I do not care if they copy software, as long as they copy ours...."
And in the end the PC, DOS and later Windows would not have reached this kind of popularity if it was not for 'piracy'.