Ubisoft, faced with a groundswell of opposition to the copy protection in the PC version of Driver: San Francisco, has announced that the game will not require a constant connection to a server in order to play. Players will no longer be required to have a constant internet connection in order to play the game, but they will still need to sign in online at the game’s launch.
"We’ve heard your feedback regarding the permanent internet connection requirement for Driver and have made the decision to no longer include it," said a statement from Ubisoft on the matter. "So this means that Driver PC gamers will only need to sign in at game launch but can subsequently choose to play the game offline."
Hopefully this will be a lesson learned by Ubisoft about "always on" DRM schemes. Consumers do not like them and don't want them in their PC games. Driver San Francisco for Windows will be released September 30. The game will hit Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii on September 2.
Source: Develop
Comments
Re: Ubisoft Relents on Driver: San Francisco DRM
As much as it might hurt to miss the next Assassin's Creed, well, I dunno if console sales count or not.
Re: Ubisoft Relents on Driver: San Francisco DRM
Pretty much agree with the rest of you. I will continue to ignore Ubi until they realize that they can have all the soapbox arguments they want regarding the securing of their product but in the end you just can't force your customers to buy it if they dont like the restrictive DRM wrapper around it.
Its really that simple Ubi... The customer is KING.
Re: Ubisoft Relents on Driver: San Francisco DRM
This isn't relenting. You still need a constant internet connection to play. This is Ubisoft listening to gamers but totally not hearing them. Having to sign in everytime you launch the game is the same thing as requiring constant internet connection. The only difference is you don't get booted if your wireless goes down in the middle of gaming.
Ubisoft is pushing this hard and I think gamers are pushing back. I have not purchased and will not purchase an Ubisoft title as long as they have anything strong than a one time activation. They recently got caught out lying about their From Dust DRM on Steam as well, they said it only required a one time activation but you have to be logged into UPlay to play, meaning always on internet DRM.
I just can't wait for this company to go under. They are just the worst.
EDIT: I checked and their games are still getting cracked anyway. So what are you accomplishing Ubisoft? Tell me what you are accomplishing.
Re: Ubisoft Relents on Driver: San Francisco DRM
This is not Ubi not listening to gamers. This is Ubi listening to gamers and doing the opposite. This (with the From Dust fiasco) is Ubi flat out lying to gamers.
This is my reason never to buy an Ubi Soft game ever again. They went too far this time.
Re: Ubisoft Relents on Driver: San Francisco DRM
Not good enough. They're giving only the most token of concessions while not grasping that if you're somewhere that you can't connect to the internet, you can't play this game. If you can't contact their servers because they're down, and this will happen at some point, you can't play your game.
Pirates, in the meantime, will be able to play the game with no problems at all. And I know this game is going to get pirated despite this bullshit DRM because I have actually paid attention for the past five years.
Re: Ubisoft Relents on Driver: San Francisco DRM
On top of that, they said originally that From Dust would require a one-time internet activation, but as it turns out you have to be online to launch the game at all. Even if you're using the Steam copy, running Steam in offline mode, Ubisoft's DRM requires an internet connection.
Edit: Oh yeah, and they deleted their own forum post where they made that promise and replaced it with a new one, without any trace of apology.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/08/18/ubisoft-edits-forum-keeps-fro...
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I'm not under the affluence of incohol as some thinkle peep I am. I'm not half as thunk as you might drink. I fool so feelish I don't know who is me, and the drunker I stand here, the longer I get.
Re: Ubisoft Relents on Driver: San Francisco DRM
Yup.
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