Ubisoft Ditches Always-On DRM
- Thread starter Karloff
- Start date
Yay I can buy Ubisoft games again!
Damm, I already budgeted for all my games this year and Assassins Creed III didn't make the cut. Mostly due to potential DRM issues.
Damm, I already budgeted for all my games this year and Assassins Creed III didn't make the cut. Mostly due to potential DRM issues.
Yes i can finally lift my boycott of their games and just in time for AssCreed III and Watch Dogs!
Now i can start boycotting EA instead.
Now i can start boycotting EA instead.
They got rid of install limits too. Go read the full interview. One time activation from here on out.. or say they say.kortin said:
o.0TopazFusion said:
Will this open the floodgates of rampant piracy? Only time will tell ...
that pic is awesome .... what ever thought i had before was eaten by that bear o.o
This is some of the best news I've heard all year, but with Ubi's track record I'd still approach with a bit of caution. Reasons for them dropping the always-on requirement have to be a bit further rooted then allofasudden "hai gaiz listen to the customerz ok??!?" But we'll see how that goes. For me it's good news, maybe even tipping me to get AC3 and the next Rainbow 6 (my favorite shooters so far).
Now the only issue, according to me, is treatment of PC ports, the last few have been pretty damn sad, but this is still one step in the right direction.
And I don't give a crap about Uplay: if their business model and software is less spyware and more just digital distribution, I think that's great. I don't think Steam should have a monopoly anyways, in fact the more digital distribution there is, the better. They will be forced to compete with each other, allow each other on cross platforms, give better deals, AND all this with the least intrusive/tedious DRM. Why everyone seems so keen on letting Steam and Steam alone dictate all these terms is a mystery to me.
I know they are doing great deals and service and such, but in the beginning it was a total PITA, anyone who bought and played HL2 at launch knows this. GOG has won my heart: we can hope that others follow suit, no?
Now the only issue, according to me, is treatment of PC ports, the last few have been pretty damn sad, but this is still one step in the right direction.
And I don't give a crap about Uplay: if their business model and software is less spyware and more just digital distribution, I think that's great. I don't think Steam should have a monopoly anyways, in fact the more digital distribution there is, the better. They will be forced to compete with each other, allow each other on cross platforms, give better deals, AND all this with the least intrusive/tedious DRM. Why everyone seems so keen on letting Steam and Steam alone dictate all these terms is a mystery to me.
I know they are doing great deals and service and such, but in the beginning it was a total PITA, anyone who bought and played HL2 at launch knows this. GOG has won my heart: we can hope that others follow suit, no?
Makes me wonder whether that episode on Jimquisition about whining being better than boycotting is holding some truth after all? I mean in the interview on RPS the only suitable answer they can think of rather than admitting they f*ked up is "we listened to the feedback". Hmmmm....
There is an interesting read on piracy here [http://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_1.html]. Warning! It's a long article. The guy sketches a pretty good picture of the impact on piracy. I don't agree with him on all points, but I do stand behind most of the things he said.
I'll give another example some people might be familiar with: gold-sellers in MMORPG's.
Do you know why gold-sellers exist? Because people keep buying gold. If people would stop buying gold, then the gold-seller would go away.
Now, lets play a game... replace 'gold-sellers' with 'DRM', 'buying' with 'pirating' and 'gold' with 'games'.
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Still, there is DRM and then there is Ubisoft's DRM. Ubisoft went too far.
It's hard to get definitive statistics for illegal activities. And I already said I wasn't justifying Ubisoft, nor do I have an agenda to push. I was just pointing out something people don't want to hear. You should also read my follow-up here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.387355-Ubisoft-Ditches-Always-On-DRM#15470164] if you haven't done so already and if you still care.GAunderrated said:
I'll give another example some people might be familiar with: gold-sellers in MMORPG's.
Do you know why gold-sellers exist? Because people keep buying gold. If people would stop buying gold, then the gold-seller would go away.
Now, lets play a game... replace 'gold-sellers' with 'DRM', 'buying' with 'pirating' and 'gold' with 'games'.
Do you know why DRM exists? Because people keep pirating games. If people would stop pirating games, then the DRM would go away.
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Yeah, but console games sell more than their counter part PC version (in most cases). So in absolute number their might not be a big difference, but in relative numbers there is.ElPatron said:
I dislike DRM, but it has become a necessary evil. CD Projekt removed their DRM, but it hasn't stopped pirates. The game sold about 1.5 million copies, but was pirated over 3 million times according to CD Projekt.TheDutch3Z said:
Still, there is DRM and then there is Ubisoft's DRM. Ubisoft went too far.
I wouldn't be so sure about that. There is no reason to believe all pirates are as patient. Well, maybe they are and it won't achieve anything.dogstile said:
As I mentioned above, PC games get pirated more than console games. Companies try out new things for better or worse. EA goes social/multiplayer [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/119449-EA-Turns-Its-Back-on-Single-Player-Games] and Ubisoft is thinking about F2P (free to play) [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.385893-Ubisoft-Puts-PC-Piracy-Rate-at-93-95]. Both have do to with piracy. DRM might not work, but there are other options, like Steam or F2P.Royas said: