Any given person might often find themselves wishing “if only video games were free”. Outside of the rare promotion, players have to fork over their hard-earned cash to get the games they want. Developers did work very hard on them so it’s a fair trade, right? There are some gamers who disagree with the “goods for services” system. They also have entire video game libraries at their fingertips. The only cost is going outside the law.
Those people who navigate the dark sides of the internet and use illegal third-party devices are often called pirates. For almost as long as video games have been around, there have been those who break hardware restrictions to get games for free. Piracy has been dying out in recent years due to advanced systems put in place to combat it. But here are some of the games that suffered the most from illegal downloading back in the day.
Updated December 18th, 2020 by Juliet Childers: From music to movies to video games, pirating media will likely always exist as long as things cost money to access them. Though huge download numbers are rarer these days, data mining and information leaks are more common. Game developers will adapt to these new challenges as they adapted to increased numbers of illegal downloads. Which video games have been pirated the most over the years?
15 Street Fighter IV
Fighting game lovers might remember the improvements found in Street Fighter IV. The fourth game in the classic arcade series was incredibly well received by long-time fans. It brought fantastically updated graphics to the table and a somewhat tighter combo system. The game released in July 2008 for the arcade exclusively.
It was not until February 2009 that the game came to consoles and July 2009 that it came to Windows. This, combined with the franchise’s huge popularity and the game’s rave reviews, contributed to the game being illegally downloaded about 1.85 million times.
14 Spore
Spore is not just a game where Griffin McElroy creates nightmares; it was a game that got pirated millions of times. It could potentially be credited with the gaming industry’s big shift in DRM and anti-piracy technology. Within its first week, the game had been pirated more than 500,000 times. This game also holds a legacy of continuing piracy perhaps due, at least in part, to the undisclosed anti-piracy measures EA placed on the physical copy of the game.
There were two class-action lawsuits against EA for failure to disclose the DRM existence. In response, EA did launch a DRM-free version on Steam in 2008. But the game had hit 1.7 million illegal downloads that year. That number would only continue to rise. However, as with some other forgotten games, there is still an active community and fan base for the game.
13 Need For Speed: Shift
Need for Speed was known for offering solid fun in the racing game space though it has fallen short lately. This title brought players 4 tiers with more than 60 cars to choose from including Paganis, Bugattis, Audis, and Lamborghinis. The game also featured a mood-setting soundtrack with 19 songs and tons of car customization options.
It released for many platforms in 2009 and is regarding as bringing the series “back to its roots”. It is, by no means, the best racing game made, but it still netted around 2.1 million illegal downloads.
12 World Of Goo
Older people might remember the huge indie hit that was World of Goo. Developed by just two former EA employees, the game released initially for WiiWare and Windows. It entailed the player creating structures out of goo while following the game plot. The game did eventually come to other platforms including mobile, Mac, and Blackberry (yes, really).
But in 2008, pirated versions of the game surged to insane rates. One of the developers, Ron Carmel, said that emails from fans said that “the piracy rate was about 90 percent.” It is unclear just how many pirated copies the game accrued in total. But it stands out as one of the first high-profile instances of indie game piracy.
11 Prototype
Prototype debuted for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2009 and even got a 2015 release on the PS4 and Xbox One. The game featured a GTA-like open world along with an interesting story that included diverse missions. Players could not only drive a tank but throw an entire car if they wanted to. The game also featured a mechanic where the player could “merge” with other characters.
The game ended up being pirated around 2.35 million times. Though it doesn’t rank the highest on this list, the developer studio, Radical Entertainment, never quite recovered. Though they assisted for the initial Destiny release, they have not made a game since and faced massive layoffs after the release of Prototype 2.
10 Starcraft 2
Starcraft 2 is a game that still manages to be popular (easter eggs in its sister game Overwatch even suggest it’ll be popular decades from now). The game’s deep level of strategy and sci-fi setting endeared millions of players to keep coming back to it again and again. In its heyday, competitive matches drew crowds that could rival even a professional sports match.
The last known reported piracy number was 3.12 million copies. However, pirates are only able to access the single-player content in the game due to various limitations in the software.
9 Sims 3
Sims 3 stands in stark comparison with most of the other titles on this list. The others are dark, gritty, and realistic. Sims 3 is a cartoony game where players can watch the lives of the virtual people they create.
Its latest known number of illegal copies is 3.2 million unauthorized downloads. It was even leaked before the game was officially released (though this version was incomplete and filled with bugs). While they were upset about the early release, publisher EA didn’t seem to care too much about the piracy since they only received a fraction of the game. They hoped if thieves enjoyed what they played they would consider getting the game legally.
8 Mass Effect 2
Many gamers still consider Mass Effect 2 to be one of the best video games ever made. Its deep choice-based storytelling and the relationships players could build with their companions drew players into its meticulously crafted world. However, the lack of true RPG elements and a boring planet-scanning mechanic was criticized. Still, the visuals, music, and character customization were also widely adored.
Its developer tried to entice players with free DLC to combat digital piracy. However, that didn’t stop gamers from stealing 3.24 million copies of the game.
7 Mafia 2
Everything a player needs to know about Mafia 2 is in the title. It is about the mafia and it is set in the mid-1900s, it follows a protagonist who must travel between the different gangs of the fictional Empire City while also trying to repay his father’s debt. Its gameplay was placed in an open-world where players could be pursued by the police if they broke the law. Many have compared it to a 1950s Grand Theft Auto.
The game was pirated over 3.5 million times. Details about why the game was so highly stolen are scarce. It is possible that it was targeted for its similarities to GTA. However, since the game wasn’t nearly as successful as that franchise it would have likely had fewer protections in place.
6 Battlefield: Bad Company 2
This game has been pirated 3.98 million times. That’s more than most games could ever dream of selling on their own. And it is not even in the top five of this list. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is an entry in the popular Battlefield franchise. The game follows a squad of soldiers during a fictional war between Russia and the United States of America.
Its single and multiplayer modes were highly acclaimed. In the end, Bad Company 2‘s final sales numbers weren’t hurt much. The game went on to sell over 10 million copies. But developer DICE has not made another game in the franchise to date.
5 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
4.1 million is only a fraction of the over 22 million copies this game sold. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 may be one of the most popular titles in the already mega-popular series.
Its multiplayer was considered the best on the market at the time. Even the game’s engine was revolutionary. It was one of the first to place enemies randomly throughout single-layer levels instead of having them always be in the same place. Released in 2009, it was the sixth mainline entry in the franchise.
4 Call of Duty: Black Ops
Released the following year, 2010’s Call of Duty: Black Ops narrowly defeats Modern Warfare 2 with over 4.2 million illegal downloads. This game started the Black Ops trilogy and is one of the most beloved Call of Duty games.
It differentiated itself from the Modern Warfare series by being more lighthearted and faster-paced than its predecessor. The story follows a CIA agent operating in the 1960s during the cold war. The game’s piracy was so severe that real-life private investigators began tracking down those who were getting unauthorized copies.
3 Phantasy Star Portable 2
When people think of big games, entries from the Phantasy Star series won’t often be one of the first games that come to mind. However, 4. 67 million pirated copies beg to differ. Phantasy Star Portable 2 was a spin-off from the main series that was published on the Playstation Portable.
While the series is most well known for its online components, the Portable series allowed fans to take the experience on the go. The reason behind its excessive piracy could be due to looser restrictions on the portable platform. As this and the next entries show, when the restraints are relaxed piracy can run rampant.
2 Dissidia Final Fantasy
While it nearly tops the list, Dissidia Final Fantasy also might not be a title that immediately comes to gamer’s minds.
Much like Nintendo‘s Super Smash Bros. series, Dissidia was a fighting game that featured a massive crossover between the Final Fantasy series. Unlike most fighting games, this took place in 3D rather than being confined to a two-dimensional plane.
Its 5.4 million pirated copies lost the company $335 million in sales. A sequel, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, was later released on consoles, arcades, and PC.
1 Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
Coming in with 5.4 million pirated copies combined between Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, this Nintendo DS title is the undefeated champion of pirated games.
Piracy was uncontrollable on the in general DS and it’s speculated that nearly a billion dollars were lost in sales. And that’s only counting the year 2009 in Japan alone. Nintendo was totally unprepared for this and had no means in Diamond and Pearl to combat those who wanted the game illegally. In the next titles, Heartgold and Soulsilver, a system was put in place to make battle impossible to complete if the copy was unauthorized.
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