Mandatory Internet connections for a constant route to DRM has been a controversial issue for several months. The biggest perpetrator of this has been Ubisoft, though now the company is abandoning the model and making a complete U-turn.
DRM stands for “Digital Rights Management”, and is intended to limit the distribution and use of a licence to a digital product following the sale. Basically, what that means is that DRM is, in theory, intended to stop the game from being copied and distributed. The effectiveness of DRM has been hotly contested, and has come under fire mainly for the fact that if a player’s Internet cuts out mid-game, the game will also stop, taking with it any accrued unsaved progress. It’s an ugly deal, particularly for gamers that don’t have the most reliable Internet connections.
Apparently, Ubisoft has been listening to your tortured cries; not only is the company ridding its games of DRM, it is also removing the limit on activation for both the number of times and the number of computers. The goal is to allow gamers to enjoy their single player games offline.
This is clearly a revolutionary step forward for gamers everywhere. Playing a single-player game offline is, I believe, the next great thing in gaming, and I’m glad that Ubisoft has been the first to come up with this incredible idea. Bravo, guys. And thank you.
Now, go buy an upcoming game from Ubisoft and defiantly unplug your router once the download is finished, because you can. Tell us what you’re excited for in our comments!