RIAA To Stop Prosecuting Individual File Sharers

Well, it's about time the lawyers learned that punishing customers and stomping on the little man and other such acts weren't going to help them in the popularity department.

Next up, video.

It will be interesting to see where this gets us with games, as that will likely be the next area of heated debate. 

In the meantime, a few in the games business are already boldly stepping outside of DRM shackles and hoping that maybe fewer hurdles between the customer and the cash register may actually result in more of them getting there. Some recent examples:

Stardock's Sins of a Solar Empire ships DRM-free, sells 500k units (back of napkin: 500k thru retail at revenue of ~$15$/unit = 7.5-10M, on a game with a $1M budget).

Ubisoft's Prince of Persia to be released DRM-free.

Good Old Games enters digital distribution with DRM-free PC classic titles.

Square sets sail for yesterday's new world

Square announces that they are going to be doing downloadables. Cool.

Of course the money quote is:

"...All formats – Xbox Live, WiiWare, PlayStation Network – are all viable formats for us"

Those aren't all the formats though. Are they? Just those that developers have been excited about for a few years.

PC, iPhone, (DS & PSP also support downloads now don't they?), etc.

Anyhow, says something about the industry's myopia. Kind of like europeans setting sail for the new world when those that settled it are already in wagons heading west.