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Future Ubisoft Games To Require Constant Internet Access

Posted by Soulskill on from the this-will-go-over-well dept.

Following up on our discussion yesterday of annoying game distribution platforms, Ubisoft has announced the details of their Online Services Platform, which they will use to distribute and administer future PC game releases. The platform will require internet access in order to play installed games, saved games will be stored remotely, and the game you're playing will even pause and try to reconnect if your connection is lost during play. Quoting Rock, Paper, Shotgun: "This seems like such a bizarre, bewildering backward step. Of course we haven't experienced it yet, but based on Ubi’s own description of the system so many concerns arise. Yes, certainly, most people have the internet all the time on their PCs. But not all people. So already a percentage of the audience is lost. Then comes those who own gaming laptops, who now will not be able to play games on trains, buses, in the park, or anywhere they may not be able to find a WiFi connection (something that’s rarely free in the UK, of course – fancy paying the £10/hour in the airport to play your Ubisoft game?). Then there's the day your internet is down, and the engineers can’t come out to fix it until tomorrow. No game for you. Or any of the dozens of other situations when the internet is not available to a player. But further, there are people who do not wish to let a publisher know their private gaming habits. People who do not wish to report in to a company they’ve no affiliation with, nor accountability to, whenever they play a game they’ve legally bought. People who don’t want their save data stored remotely. This new system renders all customers beholden to Ubisoft in perpetuity whenever they buy their games."

3 of 497 comments (clear)

  1. Looking at Ubisoft on Wikipedia... by Exitar · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubisoft#Controversies

    - use of the StarForce copy protection
    - ceased to provide his games to a magazine that had negative reviews of their games
    - admit to release low quality games that need additional promotion to be sold

  2. Re:But why? by OhPlz · · Score: 5, Informative

    Mass Effect 2 is a great example. I purchased it on Steam ahead of the release and preloaded it. Yet the day of release, EA's authentication servers couldn't be reached. Worse, you end up having to make accounts in different places to prove you own the game, even though Steam already knows you do. It reminds me of GTA-IV. Set up an account here, now set one up over there. Now figure out how to link them. For what? All I want is to be able to play the game I purchased! Using a game for the first time is getting to be as bad as doing taxes.

  3. Re:But why? by Peteskiplayer · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not only this, but Mass Effect 2 for PC was out 4 days before release, entirely cracked and working, rending ALL the effort that went into the DRM scheme useless even on day 1, annoying SOLELY for the legal purchaser.
    ...This is ridiculous!!
    Check out a torrent site for confirmation on this, s'all true.