Japanese Publisher Capcom Expresses Concerns over Unauthorized Modifications in PC Games
The Japanese publisher of Capcom, renowned for its popular games like Resident Evil and Street Fighter, has recently expressed its concerns about unauthorized modifications being made to its PC games. The company believes that such interventions in gaming processes are tantamount to cheating, posing risks of damaging its reputation and increasing support costs. These concerns were addressed during presentations on countermeasures against piracy in PC gaming, which were uploaded on YouTube.
The company acknowledges that modding has become an integral part of PC gaming, reflecting the freedom of the PC platform. However, it also opens up opportunities for undesired manipulations of the game, with piracy being a particularly dangerous form of intervention. Capcom highlights that pirate copies can emerge within a day without adequate anti-piracy measures, causing substantial financial losses for the company as paid content becomes freely accessible.
In addition to piracy concerns, Capcom faced backlash from the gaming community when it introduced a backdoor as an anti-cheat mechanism in the game Street Fighter V. This backdoor had the potential to facilitate the spread of malware.
While recognizing the popularity of modding among users, Capcom also views it as a problem. Unofficial mods can be indistinguishable from cheating tools, making it more challenging to combat cheats effectively. Furthermore, the company emphasizes the reputation damage caused by harmful mods, as they can tarnish the image of its products and brand. Some mods that violate public order and morality may even be mistaken as official elements of the game, leading to further reputational damage within the community.
CAPCOM also draws attention to the issue of mods that “can disrupt the game through cheats.” Imperfect mods have the potential to cause game freezing and damage to saved data, resulting in increased support service requests and additional expenses that could have been allocated towards creating high-quality games.
Despite the evident risks, Capcom intends to continue implementing its own anti-piracy and anti-cheat measures. However, a significant question remains: Is it worthwhile to classify mods as “cheats,” risking the loss of an important segment of the PC gaming community?