Ubisoft: "We have an anti-piracy plan"
Ubisoft has a new plan for tackling piracy on the PC, Nintendo DS and PSP - but won't say what it is.
Discussing the topic of piracy in a conference call with investors (via Kotaku) Guillemot said that the plan was one which would be put into action by the start of next year at least and would probably roll out with one PC game this year too.
Clearly aware that piracy is not just a PC related issue, Yves also said that he was confident that piracy on the Nintendo DS would continue to improve in the future.
"Nintendo has been able to slow down piracy a lot in Japan," he pointed out. "They are now putting pressure to make sure it decreases in many other countries. We think we will be able to solve this matter."
Regarding other consoles however, Yves claimed that the figure were low enough to not cause huge concern right now and that he was optimistic about the state of the PSP thanks to "new ways of controlling piracy" on that platform. He's probably talking about the PSPgo, which he hints is enough to make Ubisoft reconsider the PSP as a viable platform.
The overall feeling of the comments then is one of confidence - but we're going to be a bit wary until we know for sure that the PC piracy solution isn't just some awful DRM system. Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
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Discuss in the forums ReplySteam isn't anti piracy though, you can still pirate singleplayer steam games. So far I think the only effective anti piracy measure is multiplayer/ subscription MMO's (I've had no experience of micro transactions). Sure you can play wow for free on a private server, but without masses of players to play with it's a bit crap :p
yep they intend to never release another game :) that would truly be the only way to beat pirates saying we have a way of beating the pirates is just another way of saying we dare you to try and crack this game.
Funny, that's the first thing that occurred to me, too.
Although I think it likely they'll switch to a 'not quite MMO' architecture a la EA with C&C4.
What, by making a game people actually want to buy instead of the same tired rehashed formula resprayed and with a new engine?
put a minus before the 3.
The day they make a anti piracy system that works is the day that pigs will acquire wings and fly.
I update my PSP but I've never thought about updating the DS before today.
It has never bothered me in the slightest on any games Ive bought, nor has it been an inconvenience at all (I may be lucky in that respect, but the end result is still the same).
I say load it to the hilt with DRM and have the game register a key with the publisher that is then tied to that copy and that owner. The game will check itself at level load points, and if the machine isnt online... tough.
Yes they will lose some business but I believe that the thieves steal much more from them. (You can probably tell that I do not believe that a Pirate has any reasonable argument other than to admit they are stealing)
99% of people buy games to play and base their decision on whether the actual game is any good... they dont care about DRM. People on forums like this care though... (well some do anyway!)
now it's just another attempt at getting attention
But if they're going to fight piracy the way CD projekt does(good prices, plenty of bonuses etc.) then go ahead, I love you ubisoft :D .
100% of pirates don't care about DRM, only honest customers are affected by DRM :P
But perhaps you're right, most of the people don't care about DRM. But most of the people also don't care about crapware that gets installed on their PC(without their consent or knowledge).
I just hope they're intelligent enough to have learned from the mistakes of other publishers
and someone could probably list all the combinations...
ok maybe it won't work...
i dont believe so. you can get firmware updates for your flashcart though.
ubisoft = lame
valve software = epic win
The original DS and DS lite's don't update and there's no reason too either, I've never seen a reason to want a DS with higher firmware.
BTW THAT PICTURE IS EPIC WIN!!!!!! I'm gonna use that whenever people complain about my piracy :D
I remember that too when I used to play some sort of dinosaur game and I thing Terminator has some sort of book where you looked up a code each time. The only bad part (especially when you are a little kid) is when you lose the cardboard thing or the book and you're screwed.
Personally, DRM hasn't effected me so much but I wish every game would have a demo. I think this way, we could see if the game was good enough to buy (and if it is, I usually do) or if it really is crap. This way, we wouldn't have the excuse of stealing a game "just to see if its any good."
Also, lower prices would be nice... but just wait a few months.
It has been coming for a long time and will kill PC gaming forever.
The answer is ..... <wait for it>
MICROPAYMENTS
What companies will do is release a game for absolutely free, then charge for levels, characters, weapons along with an MMO type login.
Absolutely nothing.
That's not a problem with pirate software, i mean honestly, in some cases you're making it even easier for pirates.
Or just get it on steam.
-Genuine check: only checks legality when updating or playing online, like Windows
-Or checks (online) whenever the game loading
The higher the level, the sexier the game will need to be:D, I think it should be 10/10 to have enough confidence
There is no way to stop piracy unless you give it away. Even a system like EA's Battlefield Heroes can be messed with. Just ask how many people have been ripped off through Pay Pal.
It's like making something idiot proof. The moment you do, along comes a better idiot.
With this it's a matter of numbers. For every software engineer working on their anti-piracy, there is 500 people working for the mere bragging rights of having hacked it. There is also the simple fact that if it can be connected to a computer it can be hacked.
Online activation systems are far worse though - you lose the game(s) if the company shuts down (a pretty frequent occurrence in this industry) and, less obviously, are subject to the company's whim in terms of future authentication measures. These can be loosened (as has been done with some SecuROM online games) but can similarly be tightened, even to the extent of forcing people to pay again (Stardock being one example of a publisher levying surcharges).
The biggest danger lies with systems that tie all purchases to a single account (like Stardock's Impulse or Valve's Steam) since there is little to stop such companies from imposing an annual (or even monthly) fee on users, in order to retain access to their software.
Another DRM option is hardware-based authentication (where the program is tied to your system using criteria like disk volume ID, CPU-ID or network MAC address) which is probably what Ubisoft is considering. This doesn't affect users until they make one hardware change too many, or have to migrate software to a new PC. In those cases, at best they face significant hassle having to contact each publisher involved for new program versions - at worst, the publisher has gone out of business meaning having to find a replacement elsewhere.
All such systems have one thing in common - they need customer acceptance. If users do accept without protest, then history indicates that these measures will escalate (much as media check software escalated with the likes of Starforce and SecuROM) until they cause significant problems.
Well I agree with him, it doesn't affect me either and before you start with the patronising BS you gave him in your response - yes, I have been gaming for over 20 years and bought hundreds of games. Have I ever scratched a disc? No. Does CD/DVD seek times affect me? No. Does online checks affect me? No.
So maybe you need to look closer to home and quit with your mightier than thou comments.
These forums crack me up.
OH, and name one company that has closed its doors and the customers have lost access to their games that were activated with online protection. Cheers.
As for not being affected, didn't you encounter this, courtesy of SecuROM?
Aside from that, good to see you're so easily amused...
This applies to me in exactly the same way as Ape. Never had or expect to have any issues.
And no, never had that Securom problem either. Been gaming and buying computer games for about 27 years.
My logical conclusion is, that they are going to sell upcoming games for 5 bucks a piece...
LOL, you need a tinfoil hat. Please, a quick workaround would quickly be found, if that happened a revoke tool, or community fix would be just around the corner. Revoke tools are common now, even just after a game gets older. People are so paranoid. Plus, back up your games.
Yeah.....
DRM software didn't really exist until 2002-2003, just because my cars been running fine for the last 5 years doesn't mean that it wont ever breakdown.
What kind of backup did you have in mind?
Burning the DVD?, Making an image? cause that stopped working about 5 years ago...
Remember that next time the manufacturer of that game or music"cd" you "bought" goes out of business and it no longer works. DRM means you are renting, you don't own whatever it is you bought. They can take it away from you at any moment. If you crack it to defeat this, you are just as guilty as a pirate in the eyes of the law. Funny since pirates don't have that issue. They don't pay for it and have MORE rights than you do for having paid for it.
I'm not justifying piracy, just stating the facts.
You pay more for a system that revokes your rights. There is no benefit of DRM to a legitimate consumer. None. It also does nothing to stop pirates. And if you read the quote below, you will see that it will not even stop legitimate users when they use said DRM for it's intended purpose.
"The community?" Give me a break. Yes, you can crack it, and make it work again, which is what "the community" will do, but there is one problem, you are now a pirate and a criminal. It is illegal to circumvent that system so you just became the very thing you fought against.
As mentioned this has happened in the past. The government should pass a law that forces companies using drm to sell you a lease agreement. not ownership rights. That would at least differentiate the fact that you are buying something with DRM as opposed to without.
I'm guessing you've bought music from a business that has gone out of business?
They need to find a way to stop second hand sales and piracy and give us the much anticipated knock-on effect of reduced prices. THEN if the publishers don't reduce prices, we can fire bomb their offices and cry about DRM restricting our human rights.
My father had Napster (the legal one) for a while, and watched DRM rights revoked quite often. One week a song was available, the next it wasn't. He "bought" a song, then the artist revoked the license. He felt as many here do, "it won't happen to me"... Well, it did. He didn't make that mistake again.
Yep.. DRM never happens...
Amazon did it the other day to thousands of books. Which ironically, "1984" was one of them.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/technology/companies/27amazon.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
Even if they do drop it and reduce prices, they wouldn't drop. They would come up with something else to claim is inflating the cost. You are used to the cost, so why should they change it,. In fact, odds are they would INCREASE it, calling no DRM a feature.
Oh wait, they already did this...
I am starting to wonder what kind of effect On Demand gaming will have on Steam, but fingers crossed Steam has that covered.
And the Titanic was unsinkable, AIG, GM, and Chrysler were too big to fail.
If music companies decide to pull their interests in Itunes, it's dead, and they could force Apple to kill all songs from them.
Same can happen to Steam. EA and others could say"we are done" and yank all of their stuff. Leaving only Valve, which is fine, except that Valve is just as vulnerable as anyone else.
If that happened then they would have a s*it storm in their hands...
However both systems are very much under the thumb of the companies running them and that includes being able to force new features or changes on users. Apple can (and has) altered the number of permitted copies, so they could (if they wanted more revenue) add a system of forced rental. Or add "purchase by default" (like book/film clubs, where you automatically receive and are charged for the "xxx of the Month" unless you specifically decline it). Or use "in-your-face" advertising (like Gator and similar adware), etc.
Those who've been careful to purchase only DRM-free MP3s (at extra cost) from iTunes could ditch it if any such stunt was pulled but anyone else would have to grin and bear it (unless their collection was small enough to make workarounds feasible).
Current DRM systems are not (and probably never have been) about stopping piracy (online activation is not intrinsically any harder to disable than a media check) but about controlling usage and users. It would be naive not to expect a publisher to use this to extract money directly at some point (as opposed to just indirectly by killing off second-hand sales).
But you can record your purchases to CD ... ? And always re-rip them if need be ... ? Should Apple fail.
However i dont see its point. Even the strongest DRM they can throw at the pirates gets cracked on the release day, if not sooner so why not quit bugging the legit customer and just release the goddamn game? gog.com is a good example. Steam is a good example.
Okay so Steam has DRM, but the service, the games and the deals (on Valve games at least) are so good that even some of my hardcore pirate friends buy stuff there.
And what do they think they'd achieve with stopping pirating ANYWAYS? If they didn't buy games before they won't start now.
There is an option to record an MP3 CD, is that no good?