Gather ’round, children, and let me tell you a story about the old bugaboo we used to call DRM. Digital Rights Management was the beast under every gamer’s bed in the mid-2000s, an invisible bit of software baked into game discs that dictated and tracked player behavior under the guise of preventing piracy. DRM software, like SecuROM, limited the times a game could be downloaded and forced players to regularly connect to the internet for authentication checks, at a time when less than half of American adults had reliable broadband connections. DRM features soured the releases of BioShock, Mass Effect and Spore, and by 2010, anti-piracy software had rendered Assassin’s Creed 2 and Splinter-Cell: Conviction unplayable. When Microsoft attempted to release the Xbox One with always-on DRM features in 2013, intense vitriol from fans forced the company to reverse its plans at the 11th hour. There were lawsuits. DRM was a curse word. Meanwhile, Valve was building out Steam. When it landed in 2003, the digital PC storefront was designed to streamline the patch process for games like Counter-Strike and make it easier for Valve to implement anti-piracy and anti-cheat measures. Steam was made to be a DRM machine. In 2004, with the release of Half-Life 2, Valve made Steam a requirement for every player, and even those who’d purchased new, physical copies of the game had to boot up the launcher first. There was some low-level grumbling, but PC players were used to being lab rats, and... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-03-04 16:30:21 UTC ]
News tagged with:
#living rooms
#actual demand
#quasi-console hardware
#frankenstein hybrid
#vr hardware
#gorgeous screen
#clever ruse
#digital distribution
#spinal fluid
#undisputed leader
#varied landscape
#entire studios
#constantly churning
#20th anniversary
#libraries
Alice Oseman’s tale of queer romance is a global success story built on fans who want to feel good about themselves in tough timesAfter boy met boy in a crowdfunded graphic novel set in a British grammar school in 2018, hearts began to flutter and tills started to ring around the world. This... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-08-03 17:41:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#alice oseman
#feel good
#tv adaptation
#revealing light
#graphic novel
For anyone with an eye on video game news, it’s been hard to ignore the recent rise of names like Annapurna Interactive, Devolver Digital, Private Division, Humble, Epic Games and Netflix tied to independent projects. The distribution process for indie developers has shifted over the past few... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-07-28 17:06:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#streaming service
#libraries
#indie publishing
#self-publish
This exchange program, coordinated by the Börsenverein, brings together organizations in Germany and Ukraine to promote the book industry. The post Germany Funds Book Industry Exchange With Ukraine at €900,000 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-07-26 14:24:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book industry
The 28-page complaint claims that the law—which is set to take effect in September—would impose sweeping, vague, and unconstitutional content-based restrictions and unduly burden booksellers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Both in fiction and nonfiction, China's bestseller charts in June reflected readers' deepening interest in national culture and history. The post China Bestsellers June: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Serials appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-07-24 17:26:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#ancient wisdom
#bestseller charts
A 14.1% decline in May in the children's/YA segment was offset by gains in sales of adult books and college course materials, leading to total sales in the month holding even with 2022. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#total sales
#1% decline
#adult books
After a survey revealed the stresses that authors face when placed in the spotlight for the first time, publishing houses and industry bodies have pledged extra training and pastoral careAuthor and publisher welfare has been a hot topic in the books industry of late. Publishing houses, trade... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-07-18 15:13:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#survey revealed
#industry bodies
#books industry
#hot topic
#mental health
#anna frame
#communications director
#english pen
#independent publisher
#bookseller
#publishing houses
As linear television viewership continues to decline, advertisers' appetite for reaching live audiences has only grown in proportion. To capitalize on this opportunity and tap into lucrative video budgets, publishers including Cond? Nast, Penske Media Corp. (PMC) and Overtime have all recently... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2023-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#publishers turn
#recently launched
#publishers including
This fall, Running Press cofounder Buz Teacher will release 'Among Friends,' a book featuring more than 100 personal essays by people who had a hand in shaping the book business in America in the latter half of the 20th century. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book featuring
#20th century
#book business
TikToker Jerrad Swearenjin approached Shawn Warner during a book signing because he looked ‘super defeated’A debut author struggling with sales became Amazon’s No 1 bestseller this week after a video of the writer at a quiet book signing went viral on TikTok.58-year-old Shawn Warner was sitting... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-07-07 13:47:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book signing
#fort worth
#debut author
#bestseller list
In his opening keynote at CONTEC Mexico, Hugo Setzer has encouraged publishers to join the SDG Publishers Compact and work together. The post CONTEC Mexico: ‘Is the Publishing Industry Sustainable?’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-07-05 19:17:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#contec mexico
#opening keynote
#hugo setzer
#publishing industry
Annapurna Interactive is developing a game based on the iconic science fiction film Blade Runner. The game’s set between the events of Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049, so you can get some closure as to what Deckard was doing before meeting up with Ryan Gosling in an abandoned casino or... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-06-29 19:38:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#blade runner
#ryan gosling
#early version
#takes place
#original film
#outer wilds
#donut county
#great taste
#release date
#science fiction
Oh dear. Earlier this month, Publishers Weekly reported on romance readers’ increased appetite for books with “cinnamon rolls” and “golden retrievers” as their leading men—categories that are exactly what they sound like: “sweet, supportive, and kind” (CR) and possessed of “a warm, floppy energy... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-22 14:24:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#romance readers
#publishers weekly
Cross-industry initiative outlines scoring process and streaming data service roadmap. Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2023-06-22 07:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#nielsen
Publishing industry sales couldn't keep up the pace in April, with all segments of the business but higher education suffering declines in the month. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#publishing industry
Actor Elliot Page joined the Los Angeles Times Book Club to discuss his new memoir, 'Pageboy,' in Hollywood. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-06-15 17:06:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#times book
Steam is the world’s most popular platform for PC games and a bedrock of the industry. But if you compare the Steam of today with, say, the Steam of ten years ago, surprisingly little has changed. Or surprisingly little had changed, because Steam just released one of its biggest updates in... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2023-06-15 14:35:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#quick access
#web browser
#massive update
#libraries
Succession, shipwrecks, and a romantic comedy top my list of leisure reads Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2023-06-12 07:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Ubisoft's long-awaited open world Star Wars game will arrive in 2024. The publisher announced Star Wars Outlaws on Sunday during Microsoft's Xbox and Starfield Direct showcase with a cinematic trailer that introduces fans to the game's Han Solo-like protagonist, Key Vess. Ubisoft is billing... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-06-11 17:27:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#worth noting
#xbox series
#cinematic trailer
#key vess
#past games
#publisher announced
The AAP StatShot figures for March 2023 arrive with trade revenues up 0.2 percent for the month of March, 1.1 percent year-to-date. The post March StatShot: US Book Industry Up 3.2 Percent Year-to-Date appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-06-09 16:06:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book industry