Tue, Jan 17, 2012 | 10:06 GMT
Report – Ubisoft DRM limits installations to specific hardware
Something of a kerfuffle has broken out – again – over Ubisoft’s ever-troubled DRM policies, which don’t like it when you switch out hardware.
As the team at Guru3D learned to their dismay, the publisher’s PC anti-piracy measures apparently can’t distinguish between a new computer and a single hardware upgrade.
Having installed three copies of Anno 2070 – the limit imposed by the DRM – the reviewers swapped in a new GPU for comparison purposes, and found themselves locked out of the game.
Developer Bluebyte unlocked the site’s key to allow the testers to continue their analysis, but Ubisoft hasn’t issued a comment.
Ubisoft has been the subject of constant ire over its anti-piracy measures over the last few years, with players reacting badly to always-on requirements; delayed PC releases; and mixed messaging. last year, Eric Chahi’s From Dust spurred so much anger Steam was forced to issue refunds.
6 comments
#1
triggerhappy
17/01/12, 4:59 am
Damn, poor show from ubi. This will do absolutely NOTHING apart from victimise the customers who have actually pay for the software. Its still going to appear on http://www.piratesite.net, the only difference being is that there will be more benefits to having the cracked copy than the legit copy. Poor show ubi
#2
HauntaVirus
17/01/12, 5:21 am
Seriously, it makes far more sense to pirate ubi games now. Why are they alienating their paying customers…this shit doesn’t prevent piracy, it encourages piracy.
Oh wait… They still have paying customers???
#3
GrimRita
17/01/12, 7:55 am
Next week, Ubi will bitch about pirates and poor sales on the PC. They need to alittle closer to home first for the reasons why
#4
Mr-Brett
17/01/12, 10:11 am
It would be interesting to know if this applies to the Steam version.
#5
dubya75
17/01/12, 10:26 am
For me the solution to this is quite simple. I’ll just stop buying their games.
#6
NeoSquall
17/01/12, 11:40 am
@4 Yes, it does.