As it happens to most games, it probably didn’t surprise Zeno Clash developers at ACE Team that their game showed up on BitTorrent websites. What did surprise them was the outcome of commenting on some of the websites hosting a torrent of their game.

“The only way in which we can continue making games like this (or a sequel) is to have good sales,” Developer Carlos Bordeu wrote in the comments. “I am aware that at this moment there is still no demo of the game, but we are working on one which will be available soon.” Which is true as the demo for Zeno Clash has been released.

“We cannot do anything to stop piracy of the game (and honestly don’t intend to do so) but if you are downloading because you wish to try before you buy, I would ask that you purchase the game (and support the independent game development scene) if you enjoy it.” In an interview with Ars Technica, Bordeu found out that some of those that have downloaded it have decided to act on his request, “We’ve received several mails and posts in our own forums of people who pirated the game that decided to buy it because of the message. I don’t know if it is a significant percent, or whether this is good strategy as a whole… but it has sparked some very positive reactions in the community.” A noble request by ACE Team is met by noble responses. It may seem some pirates do, in fact, have hearts.