The studio behind Minecraft: The Story of Mojang says it they want to “open a dialog” with downloaders.
Minecraft: The Story of Mojang debuted on Xbox Live this past Saturday and it’s now available for purchase as either a limited-edition DVD or, for substantially less, as a DRM-free download. Those who prefer to pay nothing at all can also snag it from The Pirate Bay, courtesy of none other than 2 Player Productions, the team that actually made the thing.
“We wanted to come here first because we knew the movie would end up here eventually, and the best thing to do seemed to be opening a dialogue. Torrents and piracy are a way of life and it probably won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. There are many people that want to punish you for that, but we have a more realistic outlook on things,” the studio explained in the torrent description.
“We’ve been there. We’ve all needed to do it at some point,” they continued. “Maybe you don’t have the money. Maybe you want to try before you buy. Maybe you’re pissed at us for premiering the movie on Xbox Live. These are all fine reasons. But if you feel that piracy is, in Gabe Newell’s words, ‘a service problem,’ please consider that we are selling DRM free digital downloads that you can watch in whatever manner you please.”
Follow-up comments heap praise upon the studio for its enlightened outlook, and while I don’t necessarily agree that “I can’t afford it” is a “fine reason” for piracy, 2 Player Productions deserves full credit for taking a different approach to the issue. The Mojang doc would eventually end up on The Pirate Bay and elsewhere anyway, as the studio said, and by engaging downloaders and ensuring that they have access to a good-quality edition of the film, it’s doing far more to encourage good will – and, ultimately, money – than the threat of punitive lawsuits and takedown notifications.
Source: The Pirate Bay
