Ubisoft compensating for DRM with free games
Ubisoft is pledging free DLC from the Special Edition version of Assassin's Creed 2 to those stung by DRM woes.
Ubisoft's controversial new DRM system requires new PC games to be attached to a Ubi account and that players always be online whenever they play - even in singleplayer. If you lose your internet connection for just a second then you'll lose any saved progress and if the servers are offline then you won't be able to start playing at all. Ubisoft's servers have already been taken down by attacks.
According to posts on the Ubisoft forums (via Eurogamer) free downloadable content will soon be offered to players who found themselves unable to play.
"Following the recent temporary game server outages which may have caused disruption to some Assassin's Creed 2 players on PC only, we would like to reward your patience if you have experienced any problems by offering you some additional content - previously only available with special editions," said an official forum message.
Naturally, those customers who went out and bought the special edition of Assassin's Creed 2 on PC are a little annoyed at the whole thing, especially since many of them were also unable to play because of server problems.
We've also confirmed since then that some players are being offered free games too, though the selection of the games being offered is a bit random. Bit-tech's James Gorbold (who reviewed Silent Hunter 5) was offered a free copy of either Shaun White's Snowboarding or Prince of Persia to compensate for his DRM problems.
Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
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28 Comments
Discuss in the forums ReplyI won't be buying settlers 7 until all this rubbish is removed by ubisoft...
I think it unlikely they will remove the DRM on those titles. But I imagine that they either: won't use it again or that they will refine it. EA messed up with the DRM on Spore and Mass Effect by only letting people have a certain number of installs. Gamers went bonkers over it and EA no longer use it. Using DRM that loses you revenue is self defeating, hence my opinion that Ubisoft won't use that particular kind again. (if they have any sense)
All DRM does, is to slow release of DRM stripped editions from being torrented/etc. It only hurts the honest consumer, but does nothing to the pirate. Companies apparently have dumb dumb dumb anti-piracy teams.
"Here, have a free game."
Er.
Crack it, indulge yourself in your evilness and crack it. You've bought it anyway, so what the heck?
GTAIV though, with darn GFWL and Rockstar social club...even the stupid steam variant won't run offline. >:(
To fix the issue of users being shafted, they're going to shaft the users that paid for the limited editions?
Smooth move!
lol, more like;
'we have to use DRM, god forbid people who actually paid for the game should be able to play it with less hassle than someone who's downloaded the game and cracked it'.
I really do not understand (rubbish) DRM, if we remove the people who refuse to buy the games due to the DRM from the equation and just assume we have buyers and pirates. Surely the cost to implement a DRM into the game, the extra development time to add in the DRM, the cost to keep all their servers running, the damage to their reputation and time and effort spent making silly gestures like this costs a lot more than losing a few paying customers because its easier to illegally download? Then we can add back in the customers who are now willing to buy because its not full of DRM... *sigh*
The issues I have had with GFWL and GTA4... makes me wish I had pirated the game in the first place.
I vote with my wallet.
I am playing ME2 at the moment and only need to go online to activate any new DLC that I have - not to play through the game!.
Gog ftw... quality games you can play without much hassle.
more of a challenge as you have to get all the data from their servers before you can make any real release that works proper.. means figuring out the way the game requests this data from the server.. and ubi can have checks on the server itself- if said key requests so much data within so little time- that's impossible, cut off connection or even more dubious.. send bad data XD
But what do the LE buyers get? Or do they get shafted by people who buy the normal version (like me)?
This version of DRM is more offensive then anything they have put out. I am actually glad the servers got taken down by attacks. The community is speaking out clearly. Anyone have a list of their IP's somewhere..... :D
Hmmm, I've bought it, lies on the shelf though. Then someone brought me a pirated version but I can't get it to work...
When I've built my new system I'll have to install the bought one and live with all the hassles. >:(
Clearly that is too much to ask.
I bought the black edition of the game so essentially overpaid to get extra screwed. This DRM obviously doesn't work. How sensible is it to tie a single player game to a server? If it was a multi-player game I might get it, but it's not.
Why bother? Pirates don't contribute anyway, and you are paying someone money (for their DRM/to implement a DRM for you) to drive customers away. How is that good business?
Unless they are trying to eliminate the PC market, and just use poor sales as an excuse.