: KSP’s massive modding community (via CKAN ) is much harder to maintain on a pirated copy, incentivizing legal purchases.
: Piracy acted as a form of "unauthorized marketing." The complex nature of the game meant players needed to visit forums and wikis, drawing them into the official community. Kerbal Space Program Torrent Download
If you are researching this for a project, these are the typical angles explored: : KSP’s massive modding community (via CKAN )
The "paper" or analysis you might be thinking of likely refers to the data-driven look at how piracy affected KSP's early success. Key Findings Kerbal Space Program Torrent Download