Among those developers that chose the higher road is Starbreeze, developers behind the recently released Syndicate remake, a game we found surprisingly solid despite flying relatively low under the radar. Before the game released, Starbreeze themselves released a file online that was presumed to be a pirated version of Syndicate, but was in fact a job listing in disguise.
After cracking through the file, hackers found, instead of any of the cyber punk universe of Syndicate, an offer to cross enemy lines and work for the same company whose cash flow they are circumventing. Much like any good thief can be turned into a competent security consultant, so can a hacker become an expert on preventative measures. Here’s the message in full:
While not as awesome as the unbeatable scorpion enemy from Serious Sam, this is yet another in a long list of playful interactions between developers and the piracy community. At the end of the day, piracy is still a hugely controversial issue in all forms of media, but when a company can revel in its existence, and sometimes even turn a negative into a positive, it makes a better deterrent, or at least a conversation piece.
If you meet one or more of those criteria, and want to be a part of the fun, email us at jobs@starbreeze.com today!
It’s too bad that Syndicate never got the full attention it deserved, because the implementation of 4-player co-op amidst a super slick world of malicious corporations actually turned out to be fresh and exciting. Still, perhaps with the assistance of their new employees Starbreeze can save money on preventative measures and give EA a few more dollars for marketing.
How do you feel about developers ostensibly rewarding hackers with jobs? Do you think Syndicate was good enough to deserve a sequel?
Source: Torrent Freak
