Ubisoft backtracks on PC DRM, citing customer feedback
There probably aren't many PC gamers who are big Ubisoft fans. In spite of owning a stable of massively successful franchises, including Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell, Ubisoft has a long history of making life difficult for customers who play their titles on computers instead of consoles. PC versions of popular Ubisoft titles are released weeks or months after their console counterparts. Worse, Ubisoft PC games come saddled with onerous digital rights management (DRM), forcing reactivation after replacing a PC's video card or requiring the game to be continually online, as with Driver: San Francisco.
The times, though, might be changing a bit. In an interview with Rock Paper Shotgun, Ubisoft officials offer up several interesting revelations about their past statements on the efficacy of DRM and the future direction of the company's published titles. Right out of the gate, the company pulls the plug on the idea of always-on DRM for future titles. Stephanie Perotti, Ubisoft's worldwide director for online games, states, "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."
