Doom 3 leaked online

[Bond]

The eagerly awaited blockbuster computer game, Doom 3, has been leaked on the internet.

Copies of the game on file-sharing networks and newsgroups are being downloaded by thousands of people.

The cost to the game's makers, id Software, could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds in lost sales.

The sci-fi horror title has been four years in the making and is due to go on sale in the US on Tuesday and next week in the UK.

Widely downloaded

Doom 3 is the second follow-up to the 1993 first-person shooting classic.

Developing a game like it can cost game developers like id Software in the region of $15m (£8.3m) to $20m (£11.1m).

Its release is the gaming equivalent of the third film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

In the US, the game is expected to retail for $54.99 and is expected to sell in the millions.

Some US stores are planning to officially start selling the game on Tuesday, but copies are reported to have appeared in a few shops over the weekend.

Potential sales could be hit by the extent of online piracy of the game.

Copies of it appeared on newsgroups and peer-to-peer networks over the weekend.

At one point on Sunday, more than 50,000 copies of the game, which weighs in at more than 1.5 gigabytes, were being downloaded.

Translated in lost sales, this amounts to $2.7m (£1.5m), if all these people instead bought the game.

"Despite the relatively low price of PC games, many gamers are still choosing to resort to piracy rather than pay for legitimate boxed copies," said Matt Pierce, publisher of the computer games magazine, PC Gamer.

"Since Doom 3 is one of the most eagerly awaited PC games ever, it was almost inevitable that it was going to be leaked online following its US release.

"Whereas in the case of Doom 3, it almost certainly won't prevent the game being a massive seller, it will still cost both the publishers and developers of the game millions of dollars in lost revenue, an outcome that can only serve to harm future game development on the PC," he told BBC News Online.

At the time of publication, no one was available to comment from the game's publishers, Activision.

Source (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3527332.stm)

Well, that's just too bad...

[Canyarion]

..... :wtf:

I don't care for this game, but this is just too bad... :hm:

Couldn't they have protected it better? :rolleyes:

[Jonbo298]

Most people are buying the game legally still because they want iD and others to have their money in the time they spent on Doom3. I've read on a seperate forum I visit that some people are downloading the game but still have a paid pre-order of the game at like EB or something and they are still gonna buy the game. They just want a taste of what to expect.

As for me, I'm not paying $55 for a PC game. When it drops to $40 or so and there are mods that allow more then 4 players in a multiplayer match, then I'll consider buying it.

[Null]

not so sure there ever will be a mod that does that. the graphics engine might slow to a crawl if it wasnt designed for more then a 4player multi.

as for the game being on the internet, everything you read there is just giving them more publicity. it is aboslutly NO differnt from any other game, yet you hear a big whine fest on this one. its not really costing them that much because the people who download it, more than likely wouldnt of bought it in the first place, the people who buy games buy em, people who don't; wont.
its surprising that people were able to get the full version days before it came out, however its not that big of deal. the game woulda been the same had it been released before this happened. it'll still happen. EVERY game gets downloaded, doom 3 is no different.

I for one, wont be paying $50 for a game that ID says can be beat in 1 weekend, and has a weak 5-map 4-player max multiplayer mode... the game isnt worth it.
and before you jump to conclusions, i wont be downloading it either, :p just not interested in this game. Expecially when a game like Half Life 2 is on the horizon. :) already gots me preorder for that one.

[thatmariolover]

:wtf: My local Gamestop's been selling them since 7:00 last night. And my friend had a copy on his hard drive hours before that (downloaded).

I don't understand why this is such big news. I mean, "Oh My God!!!! Somebody who works for a store that got the game shipment opened it early and leaked it!!!!11!!!"

I mean seriously, this happens with just about every game (and movie) imaginable.

[dropCGCF]

Jeez, I have enough of a hard time downloading Diablo 2...
I'm waiting for the Xbox rellease. I might rent it.

[Happydude]

not so sure there ever will be a mod that does that. the graphics engine might slow to a crawl if it wasnt designed for more then a 4player multi.

as for the game being on the internet, everything you read there is just giving them more publicity. it is aboslutly NO differnt from any other game, yet you hear a big whine fest on this one. its not really costing them that much because the people who download it, more than likely wouldnt of bought it in the first place, the people who buy games buy em, people who don't; wont.
its surprising that people were able to get the full version days before it came out, however its not that big of deal. the game woulda been the same had it been released before this happened. it'll still happen. EVERY game gets downloaded, doom 3 is no different.

I for one, wont be paying $50 for a game that ID says can be beat in 1 weekend, and has a weak 5-map 4-player max multiplayer mode... the game isnt worth it.
and before you jump to conclusions, i wont be downloading it either, :p just not interested in this game. Expecially when a game like Half Life 2 is on the horizon. :) already gots me preorder for that one.
wow...i was about to say exactly all of that, even the HL 2 stuff :p

[GiMpY-wAnNaBe]

...i'd spend the time to go look on this forum the topic comparing the xbox to the computer versions....i really would, but ultimately you'll come to this conclusion....don't....for the love of god and all the is holy, don't.

[Null]

what? you mean that the xbox version looks craptacular next to the pc version? :p

[KillerGremlin]

not so sure there ever will be a mod that does that. the graphics engine might slow to a crawl if it wasnt designed for more then a 4player multi.

as for the game being on the internet, everything you read there is just giving them more publicity. it is aboslutly NO differnt from any other game, yet you hear a big whine fest on this one. its not really costing them that much because the people who download it, more than likely wouldnt of bought it in the first place, the people who buy games buy em, people who don't; wont.
its surprising that people were able to get the full version days before it came out, however its not that big of deal. the game woulda been the same had it been released before this happened. it'll still happen. EVERY game gets downloaded, doom 3 is no different.

I for one, wont be paying $50 for a game that ID says can be beat in 1 weekend, and has a weak 5-map 4-player max multiplayer mode... the game isnt worth it.
and before you jump to conclusions, i wont be downloading it either, :p just not interested in this game. Expecially when a game like Half Life 2 is on the horizon. :) already gots me preorder for that one.

Half-Life 2 looks about as revolutionary as Doom 3. And CS source is the most creative thing EVER.

[Null]

:hmm:

well, 1, HL2 looks more revolutionary in terms of phisics, because the HL2 phisics engine blows D3 away, D3 may have it beat in lighting efects tho.


as for CS... cant say its creative at all. its just like every other one of thoes types of games.

[GameMaster]

Even the people who are still purchasing it shouldn't download it because they're just making it easier for the people who intend to play completley free. Anyone who enjoys the game should show their appreciation to the company who created it by buying the game.

[Canyarion]

When WarCraft 3 was released, it had an almost worldwide release (1 day difference I think). Because of that day difference, I actually started to download it.
But I bought it befre the DL was finished. :p

What I mean is that the possibility of DLing the game sounds attractive. I think there's a group of gamers that really wants the game. If they can, they'll download it. If they can't, they'll buy it.
I think.. :unsure: