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Always-on DRM: Why ‘SimCity’ has me worried about the future

By on March 7, 2013
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The video game industry has a cancer, and that cancer is always-on DRM. When Diablo III launched last year, the game was riddled with Error 37s and constant latency issues that made the once single-player-with-optional-multiplayer game into an absolute train wreck. And it seems that big publishers still haven’t learned their lesson.

This week saw the release of SimCity, and what should have been a great game was rendered unplayable due to errors relating to server connectivity. The game is so messed up, that Amazon has refused to sell the digital version of the game on its store. What was once a base of excited fans has now been reduced to nothing but upset customers that can’t even get a refund on the game they forked out $60 for.

All of this has me worried about the future. The game I’m most looking forward to this year, Watch_Dogs, is going to have some sort of shared singleplayer experience akin to SimCity. While nothing has been solidified regarding that aspect of the game, we know it’ll be a big focus from Ubisoft’s standpoint. Why play a single-player game, when you can play the same exact game with all of your buddies? If you can’t opt out of the shared single-player game, should we expect another disastrous launch? And what about Destiny? I’m looking forward to Bungie’s next opus, but if it’s always online, how can I trust the servers to run on day one?

I don’t know what the future will bring. Hopefully it’ll come with better server infrastructures that can handle a butt-load of people trying to play a game together that they spent hard-earned money on. Are you guys as worried as I am about Watch_Dogs, or am I all up in a tizzy about nothing? Let’s chat about it in the comments.

Max was born at the tender young age of zero in a town noted for its horses and baseball bats. He enjoys giraffes, puppies, Robocop, oft forgotten movies of the 90's, British comedy, and bicycling.
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  • WhoIsDo

    To be perfectly honest, I’m worried. Does the premise of the “always-on” feature sound great? Yeah, but what about the longevity of the game? In a world where servers have issues (SimCity) or game servers are taken down (sports titles), what about people who wouldn’t experience the game for 3-4 years?

    Maybe it’s done by peer-to-peer connections, but the longevity of games is something I worry about.

    • http://twitter.com/mroahrig Maxwell Roahrig

      Preservation is everything.

  • Tommy

    I want to enjoy Watch_Dogs, I want it to be good, but I don’t want to be dreading the moment my connection derps or their infrastructure gets a hiccup.

    • WhoIsDo

      That’s a great point. Man, if your connection drops and you’re kicked out of your game with no save…. I’d be irate. Let’s hope this isn’t the case…

  • http://twitter.com/JosiahRenaudin Josiah Renaudin

    I like the concept of sharing a single-player games with friends. However, as SimCity has really shown, that can come at a cost – you know, like not being able to play the damn game.

    If titles continue to be this broken at launch, it won’t be worth risking my $60.

  • http://www.facebook.com/mattias.sjostrand.7 Mattias Sjöstrand

    I am a bit worried about watch dogs. But mostly about it being a Origin and Uplay exclusive. Im already refusing to get simcity (something im not really sad over anymore) and id hate to have to refuse Watch dogs because its on those services.