Ashes Cricket for PC Is Delayed Due to Piracy: Big Ant Studios

Ashes Cricket is out for the PS4 and Xbox One. While developer Big Ant has previously stated that the PC version of the game would be out by the end of the year, that hasn’t stopped eager fans from asking the Australian studio why it’s been delayed. Unlike other companies that sugarcoat the their response, stating that PC gamers would get a better looking game, Big Ant’s approach was rather candid.

“Like many games, the PC is delayed after console as piracy is so rife on the platform. (Many publishers do not have their console games come to PC at all for this very reason, even GTA was a year later.),” tweeted Big Ant in response to a query on the game’s PC status.

While the comparison isn’t exactly accurate, and something fans brought to its attention, Big Ant stuck to its guns claiming “this game has far, far more content than just the Ashes. GTA was delayed because of piracy” in a follow up tweet.

Although cricket game fans are understandably livid at Big Ant’s response, it’s fair when you consider the state of the largest marketplace for PC games — Steam.

In light of Steam Direct replacing Steam Greenlight, Valve’s burgeoning platform has seen the number of games release in 2017 surpass the sum total of games from 2005 to 2015.

Discoverability for game makers is a cause for concern. So much so that big publishers like Square Enix have stated that a link to their game’s Steam page on their own website sees more traction than Steam’s own recommendation and curation systems.

Nonetheless, if you like cricket and own a PS4 or Xbox One, there’s no reason not to play Ashes Cricket. In our Ashes Cricket review we stated it’s the best representation of the sport yet, making us optimistic of what to expect in the years to come. Will the PC version be as good? Won’t be long before we find out.

We spoke about Ashes Cricket and Big Ant Studios' concerns around piracy on our weekly gaming podcast Transition. You can subscribe to it via Apple Podcasts or RSS or just listen to this episode by hitting the play button below.