I'm not. The amount of money devs get from HIB is more than enough for HIB to have leverage in negotiations. Also THQ is broke, and there is no way that they could afford de-steamification niw, especially as that would take 90% of bundle sales. And than again there is MP and DLC-s.

IIRC, it was that awesome beast with Bastion and most top indies at the time. Made roughly 6 million dollars. It also had a high average.

Making a game DRM-free and cross-platform isn't something you decide on a whim. It's something you commit to from the beginning. If you decide later to do so, it costs a lot of time and money to fix, update, and test.

THQ is a AAA game creator. The games cost millions of dollars to produce and update. They're also a struggling company. Making their games cross-platform (and possibly DRM-free, as I don't know exactly the details about whether or not Steam has consolidated code for developers to use or whatever) would cost millions of dollars that they literally can't afford. There's no way, unless the games were already cross-platform, for THQ to make them so in their current situation.

Humble also happens to be by far the best-known bundle creator. They didn't choose to make the Humble THQ Bundle on a whim. The guys at Humble are also caring people, realizing that THQ needs help to keep afloat, and that they are probably the best option THQ has.

So either Humble rigidly adheres to the rules they have and the Humble THQ Bundle doesn't happen, or they make an exception to help a struggling company that delivers games everybody loves. I don't see why they would or should indiscriminately apply their rules to everybody in every situation, since every situation is different.

This bundle is certainly less humble, with a large company like THQ. I actually already have all these games, but I did get a gift code and I intend to give it away here on GOG after the bundle has ended, so keep an eye out for that!

Exactly the problem. They will be forced to give in. Had they not done this bundle the imagined scenario you set up may well have ended with them agreeing to do just that. Now they won't, so we will get fewer DRM free cross-platform titles than otherwise.

Edit: Zirun, other development studios have done just that after being required to in order to be in a HIB. Like Double Fine Productions with Psychonauts. The game didn't have a Linux version before it was in the HIB, I don't think it was DRM free either before that. But they made that happen for the HIB, now no developer will make that happen because of the HIB.

Oh bullshit.
All the Humble guys have to do is point out to the other successful DRM free bundles that made the devs money

And than they will.counter them by showing them sales of competitors bundles that barely made 10 grand total.

This bundle is ridiculous :D

Part of me wants THQ to survive, and part of me wants the indie scene to keep it's best selling record. But so far it's selling really fast indeed.

The last bundle i bought from them was that botanicula one. That even included a movie. Well worth paying over the BTA amount.

In which case they will point to this one beating the shit out of those sales wise and claim the reason was that it was Windows only bundle with DRM.

It will be interesting if the DLC will be the bonus....

German Gamers now get special german Saints Row 3 Keys with the purchaise. Cut games from a humble bundle without any information. This hurts more than the DRM discussion...


I dont think so. THQ wants some money from the bundle. An giving away the base game nearly for free seems to be a good way to get some people to buy the dlc...

wtf no they won't. Did you just really say that they would claim that being Windows only increased sales? You're arguing just to argue

IMO, the only thing selling this bundle is SR; funny how people don't seem to realize that they ain't going to be getting any of the DRM ... probably core of THQ's plan: HIB out the core SR game with a bunch of throw away titles, then sell the DLC to everyone to make up the losses.


my main "that's some bullshit" issue is that THQ has got plenty of older non-Steam games that I would buy the shit out of in a HIB (Dawn Of War 1, STALKER SOC, Red Faction 1&2) and could easily be presented DRM free.