Features & News

Gamers Make Their Anti-DRM Voice Heard on Twitter

May 27, 2013, Author: Neil Hughes

Microsoft have been getting a little stick lately, at a time that they should be enjoying a welcome rejuvenation in the form of an exciting new shiny console on the horizon. A few wrong words mixed in with a healthy dose of speculation has left them on the ropes as their angry customer base begin to turn their back on them.

I am no expert when it comes to business, but any fool can see that if you were the big cheese at Sony right now, this would be an ideal opportunity to clean up. All of the disenchanted Xbox gamers will quickly turn their focus on to the Sony PS4, because it concentrates on games and also lets them play used games they have borrowed from their friends.

They’d look like they care about their customers and take action after hearing the overwhelming feedback from the masses, whilst sitting on their thrones lighting up big cigars as the cash comes rolling in.

However, the rumour mill went into overdrive this morning as speculation suggested that Sony were also planning something very similar surrounding the now infamous used games market. In the old days people would have just had to admit defeat, but in 2013 social media has ensured that it’s the customer that actually has all the power and not the billion dollar behemoth of a business.

This modern-day David vs. Goliath story is nothing short of inspirational, and it didn’t take long before people over at NeoGAF decided to unite gamers for the greater good. The website stated:Here’s the entire list of Sony folks I know of that either are in on the decisions or have the ears of people who are in on the decisions that are on Twitter.”

The story grew quickly with hashtags such as #PS4USEDGAMES and #PS4NoDRM dominating Twitter, and an open letter to the gaming industry urging gamers to pass it on to the powers that be also gathered momentum.

The more cynical amongst us might think “What’s the point?” , but the results of this campaign is quite fascinating and even John Koller (head of Sony hardware marketing) was quick to reply to PlayStation Fans.

Sony are listening.

Gamers from all formats have united to make their voices heard on a subject very close to their heart, and it will be really interesting to see if this single voice can alter a business strategy of a big corporation like Sony.

Shahid Ahmad (Senior Business Development Manager at Sony Entertainment Europe) also joined in by responding to the thousands of tweets directed at the company:

United voice bringing results?

The power of the consumer is here, and to treat customers with disregard is quite possibly the worst mistake any company can make in the modern world. Friends, siblings and family members have long shared games and interestingly this could be defining issue of which console people choose to buy. This is something that both Microsoft and Sony need to consider very carefully before revealing their entire strategy towards users.

Sony have shown themselves in a very good light by responding to this latest bombardment and by actually conversing with their customers, but what happens next on both sides of the fence should be very interesting indeed.

Would the DRM argument influence your decision on buying a next generation console? Please let us know your thoughts.