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Ubisoft's New PC DRM Really Requires Net Access, Ends Game If Disconnected
by Chris Faylor, Feb 17, 2010 1:20pm PSTUbisoft wasn't kidding when it said that its new digital rights management technique mandates "an active Internet connection to play the game, for all game modes."
Advance copies of the first two games to embrace the new solution--Assassin's Creed II PC and The Settlers 7 PC--recently arrived at PC Gamer, leading to the discovery that the games automatically shut down if temporarily disconnected from the Internet.
In the case of Assassin's Creed II PC, a single-player game, players will lose any progress since the last checkpoint in the event that they briefly lose their connection to Ubisoft's master servers, be it because of client-side or server-side issues.
Other aspects of the new system include a lack of disc checks and installation limited, along with the ability for saved games to be stored in a server-side cloud. "Most upcoming Ubisoft PC games will make use of this system," according to the company, which has also promised to patch in offline support when or if the system shuts down.
Comments
First, there will be negative reviews in the media, which publishers take very seriously. Second, upon launch, the system is not going to work very well. Forget about activation, you can't even play without a persistent connection, so imagine the Steam launch in 2004 amped up to 11.
Consumer outrage will come through on customer service channels. Many customers will not be able to play the game they paid for whenever they want because of net congestion, server overload, port forwarding, etc. Someone will inevitably file a class action suit.
Now Ubisoft has to fend off bad press, pissed off customers, and litigious consumers simultaneously. My bet is that they scrap the system within a year. The end result? Ubisoft slips against the competition, blames the PC market, and PC games become even more of an endangered species. Thanks for fucking everything up, Monsieur Guillemot.
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