Ultrakill dev says it's fine to pirate his game if you don't have money to spare: 'Culture shouldn't exist only for those who can afford it'

I think we can all agree that piracy is basically an inevitability for any piece of software. For years now, we've been living in an era where Denuvo gets cracked so quickly for new games that it's not even worth running a headline about it. But while piracy might be inevitable, the question remains: is it morally acceptable? I mean, sure—according to Ultrakill dev Arsi «Hakita» Patala. Just make sure you tell people if you like it.

Hakita made his piracy position clear on Twitter earlier this week, quoting a user who posted a cell phone screenshot of Ultrakill being transferred from a .zip file with the caption «i ❤️ pirating indie games.» While he made sure to say you should support indie devs if you have the means, Hakita was more or less cool with it.

As creator of said game: You should support indies if you can, but culture shouldn't exist only for those who can afford it. ULTRAKILL wouldn't exist if I hadn't had easy access to movies, music and games growing up.If you don't have money, you can support via word of mouth. https://t.co/iLTqy6s9vKJune 2, 2024

Hakita's chill stance, assuming you're of certain, very cool political and/or piratical persuasions, is that access to media shouldn't be contingent on wealth. «Culture shouldn't exist only for those who can afford it,» Hakita said. «Ultrakill wouldn't exist if I hadn't had easy access to movies, music, and games growing up.» Truly, where would any of us be today if it weren't for those fateful years making ill-advised decisions with Limewire?

Explaining his position further, Hakita expressed a sentiment that you'll hear from both sides of the game piracy equation (though more often from indie devs than AAA studios). Essentially, piracy doesn't mean a lost sale if the person pirating the game couldn't afford it in the first place. «If you pirate a game, then enjoy it, spread word about it and get someone else to buy it,» Hakita said, «that's at worst an equal trade, at best an additional sale that wouldn't