We recently reported on how Driver: San Francisco will require a constant internet connection for you to play. It’s a controversial measure put in place to defend against piracy, and we don’t like it. We don’t like pirates either, mind.
Ubisoft see the DRM as a success, however. Speaking to us earlier today a Ubisoft representative admitted that the developer has seen “a clear reduction in piracy of our titles which required a persistent online connection, and from that point of view the requirement is a success.”
Ubisoft have traditionally been the developer with some of the harshest DRM in the industry. In the games that use their always online “connected services”, players can no longer to play if no internet connection is detected. The publisher first implemented this always-online DRM with Settlers 7. Since then, it has featured in Silent Hunter V and Assassin’s Creed 2 and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.
Sadly, legitimate players often take the brunt of such security measures. Intermittent internet connections and server issues at Ubisoft’s end can stop PC Gamers from playing the game entirely. Not cool.
Similarly frustrating measures were also introduced in the recent Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, where offline players were restricted to playing a small selection of the characters. Capcom later withdrew the measures after fan criticism.
