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Ubisoft Kills Hated Always-On PC DRM

By Brian P Rubin | 05 September 2012 | 4 Comments   

ubisoft drm

Always-online DRM—it’s the thing that pretty much every PC gamer hates with a passion, despite knowing the justifications that publishers have for using it. In the end, it’s a hassle for everyone involved, and it makes life hell for gamers with less-than-reliable internet connections.

But according to an interview on RockPaperShotgun today, apparently Ubisoft has removed their always-online DRM from their PC games—something they actually did way back in June.

Said the company’s worldwide director for online games, Stephanie Perotti:

“We have listened to feedback, and since June last year our policy for all of PC games is that we only require a one-time online activation when you first install the game, and from then you are free to play the game offline.

Whenever you want to reach any online service, multiplayer, you will have to be connected, and obviously for online games you will also need to be online to play. But if you want to enjoy Assassin’s Creed III single player, you will be able to do that without being connected. And you will be able to activate the game on as many machines as you want.”

That’s…that’s fantastic. How great is that?

Ever since they knocked my socks off with their various awesome-looking offerings at this summer’s E3 conference (Assassin’s Creed III, ACIII Liberation, and Watch Dogs, to name only a few), I’ve been pretty impressed with what Ubisoft’s got going on. That they’re making a point of listening to customers and knocking off shit that they hate—it’s great! I’m not even a PC gamer, and I’m pretty thrilled about the move. Nicely done.

Via RPS

4 Comments

  1. Posted by LimeDude on 05 September 12 at 10:48am

    Finally Ubisoft shows some love to PC gamers like me.

  2. Posted by SaltySolomon on 05 September 12 at 12:49pm

    What I really like that it is really only a one-time-afair => I bought AC:R and achtivated it once and never needed the internet again, unlike Steam with its really unreliable Offline-Mode where you have to be only once the PC booted => if it crashes and you don´t have internet you are screwed!

    I love the Line-Up of Ubisoft, they have both really Blockbusters (always with a cool Spin) and smaller titles like Rayman Origins. And also they aren´t as afraid as other big publishers to anouce new IP´s.

  3. Posted by Mark on 06 September 12 at 7:37pm

    I think I either picked the wrong games or the right games, because ubi’s offline mode always worked here, even before the installment of Uplay.

  4. Posted by soulprovider on 10 September 12 at 9:17am

    Theres always a catch in a society based on greed.

    For not i’ll wait and see if starforge or securom are involved before I decide to purchase the game for pc or console.

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