Developer reveals that nearly all players of this game are pirates, but there’s an unexpected twist.

When it comes to digital rights management (DRM) in gaming, the common rationale is that developers aim to safeguard their profits. If players could easily pirate a game, what incentive would they have to buy it? The prevailing thought is that without DRM, a title enjoyed by millions could end up being a financial flop. However, an unexpected title is turning this notion on its head.

Burgie’s Cozy Kitchen is an early-access incremental idler where players serve fast food to a quirky group of animals. The game gained significant attention in 2026 after its creator, HeyNau, introduced a piracy mode that humorously punishes players by having customers refuse to pay full price for their meals. Initially, the game runs smoothly, but if it detects that the game hasn’t been legitimately purchased, progressing through upgrades becomes a tedious task. The mode adds a comedic twist by dressing these customers in tricorn hats and playing a sea shanty when activated.

Shortly after unveiling this mode, HeyNau shared some eye-opening statistics about player engagement. While analyzing the game’s backend, the developer found that many players had usernames linked to a Chinese site notorious for promoting piracy.

“Every time I hit refresh, at any hour of the day, exactly 22 of the last 25 entries had that name, despite being different Steam accounts,” the developer noted on Reddit. “Today I had to widen the filter to the last 100 entries to confirm that 99% were pirates.”

The piracy mode highlighted that this issue has plagued the game since its launch. To combat the influx of pirates, HeyNau partnered with a Chinese publisher to help market a mobile version, introducing translations and region-specific features to boost legitimate sales. While this strategy helped reduce mobile piracy, the problem persists on PC.

Interestingly, despite the rampant piracy, HeyNau reported that the game is “still doing well.” The attention garnered from the piracy mode helped Burgie’s break sales records in June 2026, just a year after its early access debut. A month later, the game’s peak concurrent player count nearly doubled.

While this might suggest that more games should consider launching without DRM, the situation is more nuanced. The favorable numbers for HeyNau stem from being a small indie studio, where sales don’t need to reach blockbuster levels to remain viable.

HeyNau also expressed that, despite the game’s success, the situation remains “stressful.” The rise in piracy has shifted the developer’s perspective on the issue.

“I never condemned it or looked down on anyone for pirating,” the developer reflected on their initial stance. “I just live alongside its existence and try to do so in the best way I can as a developer.”

However, with 99% of players being pirates and a 40% drop in sales, the developer is starting to question whether “piracy exists in parallel with healthy growth.”

While Burgie’s may have a legion of pirates, the numbers are still favorable for HeyNau. “Nobody here needs to buy it,” the developer remarked while sharing their experience.

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