Football Manager Sales Would Double If Quarter of Pirates Would Pay

A statement from video game publisher SEGA has suggested that if just one quarter of those who pirate the Football Manager series could be persuaded to pay for the game then sales of the 2012 installment of the game would double.

The claim came as part of the company's response to the way the fan base of the football management simulation have responded to news that the physical copies of the game will have to be activated via Steam one time before they can be played.

SEGA's statement says, “Last year we decided against any activation as we couldn’t find a solution that we thought struck a balance on combating piracy and not penalising the genuine consumer. We said we’d continue to look for a solution that stopped, or made it very difficult to pirate the game and play it for free. This year we have found what we believe is an acceptable solution.”

It adds, “We appreciate that the vast majority of people reading this post on the forums are genuine consumers of the game, and that having to activate is not as simple as putting the game in the drive and playing. However we hope that, as a fan of the game, you feel that having to do a one-time activation is worth it to try to prevent others playing the game for free and stealing what you purchase.”

It's not clear whether those who are currently thinking about pirating Football Manager 2012 will be swayed by the SEGA claim about doubled sales or will be deterred by the one time Steam activation.

Much tougher DRM measures have been adopted by publishers like Ubisoft and Electronic Arts and promptly defeated by determined hackers.

Football Manager 2012 will be released later during the fall season and will offer the trademark simulation options alongside a number of new options linked to player interaction, scouting, transfers and on the pitch behavior.