Stardock didn't use it in its just-released Demigod but Wardell plans to include it in future updates, but not in-store retail versions. When gamers use online resources, such as multiplayer, he says, that becomes costly to the developer which is when keeping track of legitimate purchases becomes important.

The difference between Goo and more-typical DRM technology, according to Wardell, is that the developer's computer recognizes the gamer, not the game.

"When you install the game," he explains, "you enter your e-mail address, then the serial number, and the game is now tied to you. It's your account, it's your game, and you can install it in as many machines as you'd like. I don't know if that is technically DRM or not; the term has become so vague that everything is considered DRM these days."

But 2D Boy's Carmel expects that game makers will learn to live with piracy rather than fight it -- as he has.

"We will see lots more free-to-play games," he predicts, "with companies making their money through micro-transactions and such. When you tell gamers ‘take my games and don't pay me,' there's no reason for them to hack what you've built. All you need to do is come up with some other way to earn your money."