Ubisoft abandons always-on DRM for PC games

I’ve never met a gamer who doesn’t loathe always-on DRM copyright protection imposed by certain companies.

Essentially, always-on DRM forces you to maintain an active Internet connection when the game is played, even if it isn’t an online multiplayer title. Frankly, this is a model that has always bothered me, simply because you buy the game, yet can’t play it whenever and however you want.

Fortunately, Ubisoft reecntly made an  announcement that will undoubtedly make gamers all around the world very happy. Ubisoft’s worldwide director for online games, Stephanie Perlotti, has confirmed that the company will only require a one-time online activation for PC titles. Perlotti also stated that Ubisoft will place no limits on how many installations or how many PCs can be activated.

This means that you should be able to buy one copy of an Ubisoft game, and install it on both your notebook and your desktop computer. Even better, when you’re sitting waiting for a class or a meeting with no Internet connection and want to be able to fire your game up and play, you will be able to.

As you may recall, Ubisoft has come under rather intense fire from fans of the video game franchises it produces on more than one occasion thanks to overbearing DRM that wouldn’t let games launch without an Internet connection. Some Ubisoft DRM laden titles also left players with unsaved progress if they lost a connection in the middle of a game.

“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,” Perlotti said.

“Whenever you want to reach any online service, multiplayer, you will have to be connected, and obviously for online games you will also need to be online to play. But if you want to enjoy Assassin’s Creed III single player, you will be able to do that without being connected. And you will be able to activate the game on as many machines as you want.”