Will WOTC's Ending PDF Sales Because of Pirating Increase Pirating of their Stuff?

[DaveMage]

Is there any thing in these posts that hasn't already been covered in the main topic post?

This thread has 90% less fat.

 

[PeelSeel2]

WOTC's policy will succeed better than I can follow the no-politics rule. In two years, WOTC will have eliminated piracy with one fell swoop, and America and the world will be experiencing an economic renaissance because of debt spending. Perfect!!

 

[Mournblade94]

I have no pen and paper RPG stuff pirated. Many of my players do. I no longer care if they pirate WOTC's products or not. I used to TRY to discourage them at least.

 

[Fenes]

WotC's legal department is working freelance as Paizo's marketing department.

 

[Drkfathr1]

All I can say is: DUMB!

How hard are they going to keep trying to KILL their own hobby?

So...some folks are pirating their books...so they're going to punish the folks that are following the rules. Smart. Real smart.

Does no one at WoTC or Hasbro have any common sense? Pirating will still continue regardless if they sell pdf's or not. Have they not heard of scanners?

Is this a sign of business woes? Sales down? Scapegoating?

 

[Kask]

It probably will but who knows.

I was thinking about the reasoning given. A company makes decisions based on some type of fiscal pressure. WotC is stopping the sale of older editions. Why?

1) It costs them nothing to have people sell them and there is only profit.

2) Stopping the sale of the PDFs won't eliminate them from being pirated or even slow that.

3) People who will pay won't be able to purchase older editions as easily.

4) #3 above means that maybe they'll spend on the newest product.

5) Leads me to believe that for whatever reason they are trying to boost 4E sales.

I've been an exec for many years at different companies that sell digital & physical products with different versions. This is the only reason that makes actual sense, despite the reason given.

 

[dmccoy1693]

I voted no. 1 simple reason: I no longer have any interest in any product they produce ever again. I was not interested in 4E. Now, I ahve no interest in any old TSR product that my girlfriend doesn't already own. I won't be picking up any more dungeon tiles. No more minis. No more looking longingly at Magic the Gathering cards and remembering the days of my youth. No longer carrying about any Avalon Hill games. No interest in Forgotten Realms fiction. Nothing.

I will never, ever, for the life of me, understand attitudes like this. Why do you think you are so privileged that a company must agree with all your demands?

First off, I'm not demanding anything. I am simply taking my business elsewhere. I'm voting with my dollar. Captialism at work. As Colbert as put it so often, "The Market has Spoken."

Second off, I'm tired of being treated poorly by Wizards. I'm a 3E fan and after WotC heaping insults on 3E, I had no interest in 4E. But I still bought dungeon tiles and older minis at my FLGS. After stopping the Dungeon and Dragon Mags, I took my subscription to Pathfinder (they produce a product I want in a form that I want it). But that didn't stop me from buying 3E books I wanted. I was planning on picking up the few titles that I couldn't find on ebay from drivethru. Wizards now made that impossible, unless I want to become part of the piracy problem (which I don't want to be).

So no, its not "all" my "demands" since they are neither demands nor am I requireing that all of them be met. I have been rather patient over the years. I'm tired of being patient. Little has come of it (I won't say nothing has come of it, since they have reacted to some of the things I and others have said over the years). They lost the majority of my gaming dollars years ago when they went to a game I am not playing. This is merely the sad coda to a rather elongated operatic tragety.

 

[Irda Ranger]

I voted "Yes", since there's no possible way it could be "No."

I've been an exec for many years at different companies that sell digital & physical products with different versions. This is the only reason that makes actual sense, despite the reason given.

Yup. They are sacrificing one revenue stream in the hopes that it will boost another, assuming that the person who made this decision observes the same reality that you and I do. I've also been around long enough to deal with people who (for their own personal reasons, all different) refuse to accept that the world works a certain way - this could also be such a case, though I don't judge it more than 10% likely.

 

[Bagpuss]

3) People who will pay won't be able to purchase older editions as easily.

4) #3 above means that maybe they'll spend on the newest product.

Except step 4 is wrong. They will continue to play earlier editions either through the books they already own legally, or illegal pdfs or 3rd parties like Pathfinder.

Now the people that needed access to 4E via pdfs will either be forced to become criminals or quit 4E.

 

[Kask]

Except step 4 is wrong. They will continue to play earlier editions either through the books they already own legally, or illegal pdfs or 3rd parties like Pathfinder.

Now the people that needed access to 4E via pdfs will either be forced to become criminals or quit 4E.

I agree. Step 4 was what I proposed for WotCs thought process. It is the only thing that makes ANY sense. I too think that the thought process is wrong.