Piracy causes nearly 50% drop in European Nintendo DS game sales
Sales of Nintendo DS software are down nearly 50% in Europe, with blame being pointed squarely at R4 cartridge devices. R4 cartridges and similar devices circumvent the DS’s copy protection, allowing owners to download and play illegal pirated game ROM files.
Nintendo believe the devices were “largely to blame for a nearly 50-percent drop in sales in Europe in recent months”, and that the amount “lost” to pirates each year was “in the region of trillions of yen”.
Italy, Spain and France were said to be the regions where DS piracy is most rife.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has stated that his company plans to “enhance the ability to combat piracy in Europe through both legal and technological means”, with new Nintendo handhelds featuring more robust copy protection methods.
Via: Kotaku
