Re: Even Epic Knows Their Client Sucks

On Wed, 18 Jun 2025 06:45:03 -0400, Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> wrote:

When the pirates provide a better product/service, well that's just the
Free Market speaking.

As Valve's Newell once famously stated, "Piracy is almost always a
service problem and not a pricing problem." That's not 100% accurate;
price obviously influences purchases too, but people are a lot more
willing to pay if they don't feel like they are being abused. Once
enshittification starts, it becomes a lot easier for people to justify
their crimes.

Companies keep putting obstacles in the way of their customer's
enjoyment, and then wonder why those customers look for cheaper
alternatives. It's because you devalued your product, dumb-asses!

Whether it's forced-bundling (cable TV), obnoxious DRM (games), or
mandatory trailers (DVDs), once people find alternatives that lack
those annoyances, they'll flock to those. If those alternatives are
free (because, you know, piracy)... all the better!

But if you don't piss them off in the first place, a lot of those
customers will stick with you even if it means they have to pay money.

This used to be common sense in business, but ever since the Rise Of
The MBA (and the whorish gambling market that is the international
stock market) these ideas are considered laughably out of date.
Nowadays, customers are seen as annoying resources rather than the
end-goal.