DRM - How I Love Thee

In an extremely bold move, Ubisoft, Sony, and EA have all launched videogame titles that require additional activation should you purchase these new games from a friend or secondhand store.

Sony’s Firestorm Bravo will require a $15 activation fee if you buy a previously owned copy of the game in order to access the online multiplayer. Similarly, EA’s Bad Company 2 and Bioware’s Mass Effect 2 will come with an activation code in the original box that enables free DLC immediately and in the future. In order to get your hands on it with a pre-owned copy, you'll be shelling out even more money.

If you think that is bad, wait until you hear this.

Assassin’s Creed 2 on PC is going to take an entirely new approach to fighting piracy.  If you lose connection to the Internet while playing AC2 the game will disconnect and stop you from going any further until your connection is restored.

In fact, when the game disconnects you, you lose all of your saved progress after your most recent checkpoint.  That means if your Internet decides to burp right before you reach that save point, you guessed it, you lose everything.

As with any PR nightmare Ubisoft attempted to defend their position by saying it adds value.  In addition, Ubisoft tells PC Gamer that everything will be ok.

So what's in it for gamers?
Ubi say there are three advantages to their online services. The first: you don't need a disc. The second: that you can install the game on as many PCs as you like, as many times as you like. And the third: the automatic uploading of savegames to Ubisoft's servers.

Do Ubisoft understand that we don't want to be permanently online?
They've spotted the outcry, yes. "We know that requiring a permanent online connection is not a happy point for a lot of PC gamers, but it is necessary for the system to work.

Which PC games will require an always on internet connection?
All announced Ubisoft PC games will include the online services, whether sold online, or from brick and mortar stores. That includes Splinter Cell, Silent Hunter 5, Assassin's Creed 2, Prince of Persia and the newly announced Ghost Recon. "It's hard for us to say, yes, from now until the day that we all die all of our games are going to include this," says their spokesperson, "but most will."

So great, we got rid of DRM but if you’re in a facility with no net…... sorry.  Can only afford secondhand games… sorry!  Want game companies to fight pirates without hurting legit customers… me too.

Guess what Ubisoft?  Pirates will patch the game and play for free offline.

Comments (5)

R Bruynzeel

February 23, 2010

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Such rubbish, even a game like Guild Wars can recover from network hickups. For an SP game there is no excuse what so ever.

The best way to make people buy their games is make good ones.
So often they blame piracy for poor sales instead of wondering if their products are not worth buying.

I'm having somewhat of a spore/bioshock flashback. Also wondering if history will repeat itself. They start with absurd drm, tone it down to slightly less absurd and people thank them.

I had AC2 on my to get list, but I'll give it a miss. Or pick it up later in teh bargain bin and use a fixed exe.

B.J. Baye

February 24, 2010

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I don't mind ME2's style, myself. Rewarding people for buying the game is far better than punishing those that don't, as often the punishments affect those that buy it legally, while those cracking the game get off fine.

AC2's method, though, is terrible. That really needs to be fixed. I'm physically incapable of playing it on console, though, so if I want to play it I have to suffer with that limitation.

R Bruynzeel

February 24, 2010

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The risk with the ten dollar value thing, is that retailers will use their brand of logic and up the price with 10 dollars.

Non transferable dlc is also bad for second hand games. I buy used games once in a while. Sometimes because I do not think said game is worth full retail price, but also games that are rare/hard to find. (That's not even counting those games that were never released in europe.)
I recently picked up a few N64, psx and gamecube games that are no longer sold.

When people talk about used games they very often mean recent stuff, yet the market for classic games is probably a lot bigger.

Aaron Baker

February 26, 2010

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Utter donkey crud rubbish!

Apparently they'll never get it.

R Bruynzeel

March 04, 2010

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Based on the recent updates. The drm is already bypassed, and ubi has made half a change. At least now the game will pick up where it left off when the connection cut out.

Still not good enough for me to reconsider buying it though.

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