toxicTom: Another factor is - IMO - that in most of the big companies the decisions are made by drones in suits that have no emotional investment in the actual product.
As a developer myself I can understand to a point not wanting people to "get my work for free". But the reality is that DRM does not stop people from pirating. And if I would be developing games - that I see as a part of culture - I would be glad if as many people as possible have access to my work. And even more important - that my work stands the test of time and will still be played in 20 years and beyond. But those making the decisions are not interested in seeing the products as part of the cultural heritage. For them they are expendable toys that have to make as much money
now, and are forgotten by them when they reach the bargain bins after half a year.
It's this short term thinking without no love for the products (they could as well be selling groceries) that leads to license messes and dumping barely working classics on Steam (just because GOG has proven they can sell).
Precisely - AAA games have become the equivalent of blockbuster films. They have to make virtually all their money in the initial release period, with very little concern as to whether they are making an enduring product or not. It becomes all about the wow factor rather than substance. It doesn't help that both products have the same primary target demographic - teenage males, a group not renown as a whole for their powers of discernment and their love of depth.
Given this "opening weekend" mentality, perhaps some companies think DRM is good enough if it slows piracy long enough to grab the big first wave of profits. But of course we know this is flawed thinking as well, since many games are hacked on the day of release, with some actually hitting the torrents even before they hit the shelves.
You'd think that companies would realise that they might make more money if they didn't consider the holy grail of consumers a group known for poor impulse control and poorer ethics. But then chasing other markets would mean actual work, as opposed to just churning out this year's iteration of a sports franchise title and the newest game about a guy killing a bunch of people in awesome ways.