Today, the folks at CD Projekt RED have ceased their ongoing practice of tracking down people they believe have pirated The Witcher 2 and threatening them with legal action. This aggressive approach came under fire from fans and the media, specifically from Rock Paper Shotgun, whose John Walker published an open exchange with CD Projekt representatives that we were happy to republish here.


In an open letter to RPS, CD Project RED's co-founder Marcin Iwinski writes that the company will "immediately cease identifying and contacting pirates." The reason he cites is that so many in their community were opposed to the idea, at least in party because it was possible that they might target innocent people:

Being part of a community is a give-and-take process. We only succeed because you have faith in us, and we have worked hard over the years to build up that trust. We were sorry to see that many gamers felt that our actions didn't respect the faith that they have put into CD Projekt RED. Our fans always have been and remain our greatest concern, and we pride ourselves on the fact that you all know that we listen to you and take your opinions to heart.


He goes on, however:

Let's make this clear: we don't support piracy. It hurts us, the developers. It hurts the industry as a whole. Though we are staunch opponents of DRM because we don't believe it has any effect on reducing piracy, we still do not condone copying games illegally. We're doing our part to keep our relationship with you, our gaming audience, a positive one. We've heard your concerns, listened to your voices, and we're responding to them. But you need to help us and do your part: don't be indifferent to piracy

It's always nice to see a game company listening to its customers and responding in a real way. I'm sure Geralt of Rivia would take a break from his lusty, sword-ful exploits to nod his head in approval.


Splendid: CD Projekt To Stop Legal Threats [Rock, Paper Shotgun]