Ever since the introduction of PC gaming, people have been pirating PC games. Game developers have tried a number of different means to combat the pirates, but the most recent and controversial is very strict DRM (Digital Rights Management) that in many cases treats the person who bought the game like a criminal. Spore is first game that comes to mind when thinking of strict DRM, where the game would only allow for 3 total installations, the inability to create multiple Spore.com accounts with one CD-key, and constant online authentication checking.

But that’s a story for a different time.

On the other end of the spectrum is Stardock and their game called Sins of a Solar Empire. This was a 2008 release that featured absolutely no DRM. So that means it was easily the most pirated game of the year and didn’t sell very well, right? Find out after the jump.

Amazingly, in the list of the top pirated games of 2008, the game with absolutely no protection against piracy didn’t even make the top 10. This isn’t because it’s a bad game, because anyone who’s actually finished a full game of Sins can tell you it’s quite good. In fact, even though Sins cost less than a million dollars to make, the game sold over 500,000 copies (over 100,000 were through digital downloads.) This is quite impressive considering how it was a brand new IP from a lesser known developer.

So what is Stardock’s secret? Nothing, really. They just treated their fans with respect, and other developers need to realize that’s how you gain a fanbase, sell your games, and sell expansions. People are always going to pirate your games, and no matter how many actions you take to prevent it, you’re not going to stop them. The more you lock your game down, the harder the pirates will work to crack and distribute it.

Treating your fans with respect, not using DRM, and still managing to release a successful product is why Sins of a Solar Empire made #80 on our list of Top Gaming Moments of 2008.

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