If you've been out and about on the gaming sites today, you've probably seen this open letter to Activision from the big gaming sites and file sites. The fuss is about Activision's deal with FilePlanet to host the Call of Duty demo exclusively. While Call of Duty isn't a demo we'd host here at BeyondUnreal, we ARE believers that files exclusive to one site or another ultimately hurts gamers. Following is the letter:
After failed discussions with Activision, the following websites will not be carrying the Call of Duty playable demo, even after its exclusivity is over. This is due to Activision's decision to not accede to the reasonable request of making demo freely available to all game enthusiasts at the same time.
3D Downloads
3D Gamers
Blue's News
FileFront
FileShack
Gamer's Hell
Tiscali Games
WorthPlaying
The above-listed websites hope to show Activision that the enthusiast industry is strongly opposed to the idea of exclusive demo releases.
Feedback from our users shows that gamers hate to be forced through a single point of congestion if they want a demo right away. While these websites are actually competitors, this competition provides the freedom of choice that enthusiasts want by offering the widest possible distribution of any demo (a sample intended to interest as many gamers as possible in the full product, after all) rather than the most restricted one.
Therefore, something this disrespectful of the industry as a whole has inspired all of these websites to stand together in this open letter.
Deals like this hurt the industry much more than they could possibly enhance a single relationship, and we ask for your support in sending out this message.
After failed discussions with Activision, the following websites will not be carrying the Call of Duty playable demo, even after its exclusivity is over. This is due to Activision's decision to not accede to the reasonable request of making demo freely available to all game enthusiasts at the same time.
3D Downloads
3D Gamers
Blue's News
FileFront
FileShack
Gamer's Hell
Tiscali Games
WorthPlaying
The above-listed websites hope to show Activision that the enthusiast industry is strongly opposed to the idea of exclusive demo releases.
Feedback from our users shows that gamers hate to be forced through a single point of congestion if they want a demo right away. While these websites are actually competitors, this competition provides the freedom of choice that enthusiasts want by offering the widest possible distribution of any demo (a sample intended to interest as many gamers as possible in the full product, after all) rather than the most restricted one.
Therefore, something this disrespectful of the industry as a whole has inspired all of these websites to stand together in this open letter.
Deals like this hurt the industry much more than they could possibly enhance a single relationship, and we ask for your support in sending out this message.
