Restricting and punishing leakers is useless and dumb

Jul 6, 2015 18:01 GMT  ·  By

Star Wars Battlefront saw the debut of its closed alpha stage on the PC platform last week. While early test phases for multiplayer-focused titles like Battlefront aren't uncommon, this is an alpha version and, as such, developer DICE and publisher Electronic Arts didn't want participants to share videos, screenshots or impressions about this trial version of the shooter.

As such, the companies used a strict non-disclosure agreement for participants, warning that violating the terms of the deal can lead to a suspension of the Origin account or even a permanent deletion of it.

Despite such hefty punishment, we've seen a huge amount of leaks happen in the last few days, with screenshots, videos, impressions, or technical details from the Star Wars Battlefront closed alpha appear online for all to enjoy.

This leads me to a key question: why are companies still using non-disclosure agreements that will get violated no matter the punishment?

In this online world, NDAs can easily be broken

Star Wars Battlefront was announced officially last year and only in April of this year did it actually receive gameplay details, alongside some early footage. At E3 2015, Electronic Arts and DICE showcased more direct gameplay sequences, taken from an early build of the game. During the event, participants were also able to engage in a Walker Assault experience on the snowy planet of Hoth. We already saw off-screen videos of such a playthrough.

EA and DICE confirmed last month that a closed alpha is coming to the PC, allowing those who are invited into the test to enjoy the aforementioned Walker Assault mode on Hoth, as well as a wave-based survival mission on Tatooine.

Rather surprisingly, even if the alpha version seemed quite polished, a strict non-disclosure agreement governs the participation in the test phase.

However, despite the strict punishment, already major leaks have appeared. Right when the alpha began many people started streaming the action, apparently oblivious to the big "Stick to the NDA" button that appears in the main menu.

Shortly afterwards, gameplay mechanics and elements were spotted in the closed alpha's files, and it wasn't long until full-fledged gameplay videos appeared, depicting both Walker Assault on Hoth and Survival on Tatooine.

Gorgeous 4K resolution Ultra graphics settings screenshots also made their way out of the closed alpha, showcasing the two main experiences.

Star Wars Battlefront alpha looks good enough, so restricting it is dumb

Both the videos and the screenshots portrayed some great visuals and pretty intense multiplayer mechanics, both for the cooperative survival as well as for the competitive mode. As such, it's dumb to see that EA and DICE are trying to stop players from sharing their impressions.

Yes, there are some models that don't look that great and the game's performance is far from being nailed down, but many fans realize these things so it makes no sense to stop participants from sharing their impressions and fans who didn't get to enter the test phase from checking them out.

I'm aware that there are plenty of people who are disappointed with the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront for different reasons, but silencing everyone isn't a good method of keeping those naysayers quiet or eliminating their concerns.

Leaks will happen, no matter the punishment

Major leaks will happen and Star Wars Battlefront isn't the first, nor the last to suffer from it. Gears of War Ultimate Edition, for example, was also leaked ahead of launch by multiplayer beta participants.

It's time for companies like EA to stop using NDAs and just let the community share its impressions of its products, even if they're in alpha or beta status. There will always be feedback, whether positive or negative, but using an NDA ensures that the community will search for leaks in order to see what the "evil" companies don't want them to see.

Star Wars Battlefront leaked screenshots (6 Images)

Star Wars Battlefront's closed alpha leaked screenshot
Survive on Tatooine in Star Wars BattlefrontAvoid troopers in Star Wars Battlefront
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