DRM Does Not Work Ubisoft Makes Steam Clone. Requires All Games To Have Constant Internet AccessFor all future PC games Ubisoft is forcing customers to use the Ubisoft’s Online Services Platform. So what does that entail?

The Good:

  1. No CD/DVD required to play
  2. Unlimited Installs on Unlimited Computers
  3. Online backup of  all game saves to protect you from data loss

The Bad:

  1. Constant online connection required for all game modes Including Single Player.
  2. Can not resell games that you have the disks for as the cd keys are one time use only.
  3. Mandatory Ubisoft account creation.
  4. Game Pauses when internet connection is lost.
  5. Have to take their word that “Ubisoft is committed to being a forerunner in providing new exciting online service. If any service is stopped, we will create a patch for the game so that the core game play will not be affected.”

Essentially they are trying to make the MMO model apply to the single player game market. And while this may be good news for Ubi, it’s bad for customers. Not everyone has a constant internet connection, and even for those that do many ISP’s (especially in Europe where Ubisoft is based) have data caps on their connection. And I doubt the single player experience on any game is worth blowing your data cap on DRM calls home.

Ubi fails to understand how many people game from their laptops while traveling. So now unless you have access to free wifi hot spots your laptop is now no good for gaming. And what about days when your home internet is just down. At my last apartment I had a 50/50 chance of the internet being down when I got home. I would be extra pissed if that stopped me from playing any of my games.

And does anyone honestly believe any company that says we will “make a patch if the service gets shutdown”? I sure as hell don’t.

Ubi has seen the “success” of Steam and decided to cut out the middle man. I don’t like Steam either but at least steam has offline mode for when your internet is down.

People need to start voting with their wallets. Don’t rent games anymore. Cause that’s what your doing in this scenario. You are renting the game. If you owned the game they could not tell you how or when you can use the merchandise.

3 Comments Games

3 Responses to “Ubisoft Makes Steam Clone. Requires All Games To Have Constant Internet Access”

  1. Ubisoft DRM Worse Than Expected. | G.A.M.E.S. on 21 Mar 2010 at 5:10 pm #

    [...] how UBIsoft is going to require you to have a constant internet connection for single player games. See here. Well PC Gamer magazine has gotten a preview copy of Assassin’s Creed 2 which has the new DRM [...]

  2. Ubisoft DRM Keeps Paying Customers From Playing | G.A.M.E.S. on 21 Mar 2010 at 5:10 pm #

    [...] Time Sunday the Ubisoft servers went down. That’s right the servers that you have to have a constant connection to in order to play your single player games Assassin’s Creed 2 and Silent Hunter 5. Remember [...]

  3. Ubisoft Removes Controversial DRM from R.U.S.E. | G.A.M.E.S. on 12 Aug 2010 at 2:52 pm #

    [...] made lots of folks angry with its always connected to the internet DRM. Well players of the upcoming R.U.S.E. will get a reprieve. Ubisoft has told [...]

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