I think this is a big part of why games have moved to the continuous development/games-as-a-service model. It's not just for longer-term recurring revenue; cont

I think this is a big part of why games have moved to the continuous development/games-as-a-service model. It's not just for longer-term recurring revenue; continuously adding new content is the ultimate DRM, as pirate versions keep falling out of date (for single player games) or the content isn't even accessible without a legit version (for multiplayer games). The confluence of DRM, recurring revenue, and the social nature of humans are why the biggest and most successful games these days are centered around multiplayer elements. I believe it's also why so many companies are trying to produce e-sports titles or shoehorn competitive spectacle into their games. Honestly, the only piracy that's really a problem is larger studios ripping off indie games and either beating them to market (off an early release), or out-marketing them. I'm not a mobile dev, but I've heard tons of stories of independent devs with a decent release getting their games rapidly cloned by the likes of King, who have bigger marketing channels, more money to spend, more devs, and preferred access to spotlight spots on app stores and industry publications. This isn't the kind of piracy the article is talking about, but I think it's the more relevant discussion around software and IP theft.