Sonic Mania PC Port has "always online" DRM, PR manager encourages fans to complain

[Neverhoodian]

I know we already have a Sonic Mania thread, but I felt like this deserved its own discussion...

So the PC port for Sonic Mania contains the now-infamous Denuvo copy protection system, which requires users to be online to play the game. This apparently was not the intent of the devs, who have stated that they're working on addressing this. Indeed, Sonic PR manager Aaron Webber has even encouraged fans to directly complain to Sega about this.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/08/sonic-mania-pc-version-launches-with-denuvo-online-requirement/

This whole incident begs the question why Denuvo was packaged with the port in the first place given how it's been met with instant derision. As of this posting the game's being inundated with downvotes and negative feedback concerning the situation on the Steam store page (not enough to tank the overall rating, but still a significant amount).

Personally, I find it odd indeed that the devs are acting like they weren't aware of this, which indicates shenanigans on some level. Either the devs knew and are feigning innocence or it was added by a different party like the higher-ups at Sega without their knowledge. But that's just speculation on my part. What do you think about this unexpected fiasco in an otherwise stellar reception for the game?

 

[gsilver]

Now we know why it was delayed for two weeks...

Kinda bs, especially because I preordered the CE on PC, and ended up buying the Switch version because I didn't want to wait.
Now, I've bought the game twice and returning the PC one isn't an option

 

[Rip Van Rabbit]

Another version of Denuvo to break.
Give it a little time and the pirates will have a superior product to those who paid for it. (Unless Denuvo gets patched out, that is.) Which is bullshit, as always.

Sucks that the devs got caught in the crossfire though.

 

[Neverhoodian]

Snip

I suspected as much. Taxman and Stealth have built up a well-deserved reputation as the darlings of the Sonic fan game scene, and I found it hard to believe that they'd blow all of their goodwill in one fell swoop like this. Not even ascended fan games are free of Sega's TRIPLE-A[footnote]Read this using Jim Sterling's pronunciation for the full intended effect[/footnote] meddling and general fuckery.

 

[shrekfan246]

https://www.facebook.com/SEGA/posts/10155636608246796

We?d like to thank the community for their honest feedback with regards to Sonic Mania on PC. We?ve found the problem within the game code that was stopping people playing offline and it?s been corrected by the dev team. The fix is now being tested by SEGA QA to ensure it is working properly and we?ll let you know when it will be implemented via our social channels ASAP. We?ve looked into the DRM complaints and can confirm this was not the cause of the problem. We apologise for any inconvenience any of the bugs may have caused players of the PC version at launch and would like to reassure them again, that as with this particular bug, we are on the case and working on fixes so everyone can have an uninterrupted and enjoyable experience playing Sonic Mania both online and offline.