At GDC, Witcher developer says it will discontinue using DRM anti-piracy protections

At the Game Developers Conference yesterday, Witcher series developer CD Projekt Red acknowledged that it would no longer use digital rights management (DRM) anti-privacy protections to safeguard its games because of the inconveniences and problems these actions have caused customers.

Marcin Iwiński, CEO of the company, said that DRM doesn't necessarily stave off pirates, and the protections instead result in complications for those who purchase game copies through legal means. The Witcher 2 was proof enough of its ineffectiveness: Pirates found ways around the SecuROM copy protection and DRM protections shielding the retail version of the game.

"DRM does not protect your game," Iwiński said after the presentation. "If there are examples that it does, then people maybe should consider it, but then there are complications with legit users."

Polish video game publisher and developer CD Projekt has not taken kindly to illegal downloaders, threatening to sue people who torrented copies of The Witcher 2 and demanding €911 ($1195) settlements from suspected pirates. The company finally relented, deciding instead to maintain a good relationship with its customer and fan base.

CD Projekt Red previously dropped DRM for existing copies of the game. The Witcher 2 for PC has sold more than 1.1 million copies since May 2011. It's coming to Xbox 360 on April 17.