Ubisoft Disengages Always-On DRM

[Krakn3Dfx]

http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/7...g4tv&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=TheFeed

Ubisoft has apparently quietly turned off it's "always on" DRM for PC users. Before the change, games like Assassin's Creed Brotherhood required an internet connection in order to function, so you were basically boned if you had spotty Wi-Fi or wanted to play on airplane or something.

The new changes to Ubi's DRM scheme now mean you must have a connection when you first boot the games up, in order that you can be verified as a customer, but after that, feel free to turn off your modem and play all day..

This is a step in the right direction for Ubi. While piracy is always bad, software companies instituting DRM schemes that penalize legit customers seems like a self-defeating strategy at a certain point. After all, if it's easier and less intrusive to play a pirated game, most people will opt for that, since it's free to. It's hard to justify paying for something that's troublesome and bad, when the "easy" version is free.

 

[Qbah]

(...) games like Assassin's Creed Brotherhood required (...)

It's not out yet on PC... what a "great" example

I personally didn't mind this scheme (granted, I don't own any Ubisoft games with this DRM for PC, got AC2 for my Xbox), though it should be a lot better for people with an unstable connection (will actually make the games playable for them ).

The DRM haters won't touch their games anyway though (still have DRM)

 

[Andrew111]

I personally didn't mind this scheme (granted, I don't own any Ubisoft games with this DRM for PC, got AC2 for my Xbox), though it should be a lot better for people with an unstable connection (will actually make the games playable for them ).

The DRM haters won't touch their games anyway though (still have DRM)

I was looking at reviews of some Ubisoft games (Settlers 7 notably) and apparently their DRM authentication servers would go down occasionally and would lock out people from playing the game they purchased. That is totally unacceptable and Ubisoft can DIAF before I buy any of their games...no wonder they're backpedalling after implementing such a horrible policy that negatively impacts legitimate customers who bought their games. They deserve the abysmal ratings many of their PC games have received.

 

[shortylickens]

Dont care. They fucked people over too many times for something like this to suddenly make it alright.
I'll stick with DRM free publishers.

 

[s44]

This doesn't mean they've patched it out of Assassin's Creed 2, does it?

 

[Qbah]

Apparently it's no longer needed now. Was a quiet change by Ubisoft:

http://kotaku.com/5721218/report-ub...e-no-longer-requires-always+on-net-connection

 

[Texashiker]

So, if I take the laptop to the deer camp where there is no internet or cell phone for 10 miles, I can not play those games.

If I get short on money and my internet gets turned off, my games are also disabled.

If my ISP is having problems, my games have problems as well?

Sounds pretty lame to me.

 

[Powermoloch]

finally, all they have to do is to remove the required online connection (verification) to play....

 

[zerocool84]

This is still retarded. Having to activate any time you want to play is retarded. Sorry Ubi, you still won't be getting any of my money just like before. I will not pay for any of their games at all no matter how good they are.

 

[Liet]

Still too much DRM.

It was a big, big problem for the Silent Hunter community. We were mostly disappointed by SH5, and the DRM was a significant part of that.

 

[thedosbox]

RPS is reporting that it's still in place for Settlers 7.

 

[s44]

Guess I should have bought AC 2 in the Steam sale then...

 

[SN4p]

The funny part about the whole situation, the games are still very easily piratable.

They cannot comprehend that people who pirate games were never going to buy them anyway, therefore they aren't actually losing anything.

 

[Bateluer]

Still not interested, Ubi. Lousy games, still coupled with too much DRM aren't going to win you my business.

 

[lupi]

Was going to come into the thread happy, but seeing that it has not totally been fixed leaves us disappointed still. As if ubi hasn't lean red what every other company that has taken such measures, hackers will defeat such means and flaunt it, legit customers will have problems driving up customer service cost, the near universal consumer opposition will not buy and ensure their friends know of such limitations before they buy, and reviewers/stores are putting the drm limitations in easier to read warning statements that dissuade the casual gift buyer.

Spent a couple weeks visiting relatives last year and was without non-tethered cellphone internet while doing so. Any ubi games on my laptop may as well have been deleted and my purchasing decisions since this drm means have been made as such.

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

Still not interested, Ubi. Lousy games, still coupled with too much DRM aren't going to win you my business.

Assassin's Creed II and Splinter Cell Conviction were awesome experiences, can't wait for Brotherhood to hit the PC personally, been holding off buying it on the PS3 because the PC version of AC2 was so much better than the console version.

 

[Rakewell]

Ubisoft's DRM isn't just for protecting it's intellectual property; it's to "reassure" investors that their software is "piracy-proof".

 

[Nintendesert]

It sucks for deployments. I load up my laptop with a lot of games and play them when I get some free time, these internet required DRM schemes absolutely kill my ability to play those games out here. So I vote with my wallet and never purchase games with such DRM.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Whats sad is that these developers are people who grew up in the era, they should know better. I'm starting the bad analogy hijack:

Bad DRM is like a bad dog. You may have your pitbull around to protect you from burglers, but if he bites the guy serving you your subpeona, he has to go.

 

[mindcycle]

I remember posting something about this when they first announced this new DRM scheme and how it would never work at stopping piracy. And it didn't.. big surprise.

What it did accomplish was create a large group of angry consumers who couldn't play the games the legally purchased. Which, in turn, probably cost Ubisoft a lot of money to support.

You would think that after as many unsuccessful attempts as Ubisoft (and other large publishers) have made to stop piracy, they would realize that adding additional roadblocks that your customers have to jump through just to play a video game does not work. You would think..

 

[mooncancook]

I didn't buy any game with the always-on DRM during the Steam sales. I would have grab AC2 otherwise.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Truth is, though, initiallly Steam was strictly a form of DRM covered in a convenience package, and look how popular it is now.

 

[Nintendesert]

Steam like Impulse offer a service that makes the DRM tolerable. They offer more than what they take away with the DRM.

This is the complete opposite of other forms of DRM that instead take away more from the experience than they offer, rewarding those that pirate instead.

STEAM/Impulse are DRM done correctly.