Tag Archives: securom

CD Projekt RED, which famously let DRM creep into the Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings before promptly patching it back out, has sworn off the anti-piracy measure for good.

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The release of Battlefield 3 is a mere several weeks away, but those PC gamers still enjoying the previous instalment will be pleased to hear EA has joined the ranks of publishers that release a title DRM’d to the nines, only to later put out a patch to remove it. Huzzah!

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BioWare and EA’s public relations nightmare continues, as vocal anti-DRM groups accuse the company of failing to declare Dragon Age II’s SecuROM-related Sony Release Control.

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BioWare’s live team technical producer Derek “CrushBug” French has said that reports of SecuROM DRM in Dragon Age 2 are not what they seem.

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PC gamer? SecuROM kicking your ass constantly? Well, you can kick its ass for once: the latest Battlefield: Bad Company 2 PC patch has dropped the DRM software from the game.

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The SecuROM implemented with Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has been explained a bit by DICE over on the official blog, and it looks like it will only be running when the game is running.

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BioWare’s confirmed that the PC version of anticipated RPG Dragon Age: Origins won’t come with SecuROM or anything else like it.

From the game’s forums:

We’re happy to announce that the boxed/retail PC version of Dragon Age: Origins will use only a basic disk check and it will not require online authentication. In other words, the retail PC version of the game won’t require you to go online to authenticate the game for offline play. We have chosen not to use SecuROM in any version of Dragon Age that is distributed by EA or BioWare.

It’s out towards the end of the year for PC, 360 and PS3. Hit the link for the full thing.

The member’s page of the PC Gaming Alliance has seemingly lost its Activision logo.

Why? The PCGA told Kotaku that “a few members have decided they cannot justify the budget (membership and staff) required to maintain an active role in the PC Gaming Alliance at this time.”

While it’s lost a member, however, the PC-loving outfit’s gained one in the form of Sony DADC, the owner of DRM “solution” SecuROM.

Tuesday thrills.

A Steam patch released yesterday for Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 removes the SecuROM and Steam digital rights from your game.

Next time you log in, the patch will apply itself and will also remove the game-specific license from your machine.

More information over on GamersDigest

Rockstar’s outlined the DRM methods used for the PC version of GTA IV in this IGN article, confirming that you’ll need to register the game every time you install it on a new machine.

The title will use SecuROM, but you’ll be able to install it as many times as you like.

There’s a lot of info through there, so if getting het up about anti-piracy measure is your thing, it’s Christmas come early.

According to this GamesPolitics piece, EA’s facing a pair of class action suits of its use of copy protection system SecuROM.

The cases, filed by Pennsylvanian Richard Eldridge and Dianna Cortez of Missouri, accuse EA of “deceptive and unlawful” practices, and claim the publisher’s use of SecuROM is “immoral, unethical, oppressive [and] unscrupulous,” among much more.

Take a look. May not be pretty, but it is fairly funny.

Far Cry 2 is the latest PC game to use SecuROM protection, according to this Blues post, and will apparently allow five installs on three computers.

According to that story, based on this forum post from a Ubi rep, “Uninstalling the game ‘refunds’ an activation. This process is called ‘revoke’, so as long as you complete proper uninstall you will be able to install the game an unlimited number of times on three systems.”

There’s more through there. The game’s out on October 24.

God. Here we go again. This GameExtract piece is carrying an image supposedly taken from the install process of Crysis Warhead which includes the line, “The first end user of this License can install and authenticate CRYSIS WARHEAD on a set number of machines.”

No idea if this is legit or not, but seeing as how SecuROM protection appears to be EA policy, it very well may be.

More soon.

EA’s confirmed that SecuROM copy protection is to be used on Red Alert 3, despite the fact Spore’s been hammered by complaints about the system.

The settings aren’t going to be as stringent this time round though, said an EA staffer in this forum post.

- We will authenticate your game online when you install and launch it the first time.

- We will never re-authenticate an installation online after the first launch. In other words, no reaching out to a central server post-install to see if you’re “allowed” to play.

- You will be able to install and play on up to five computers.

- This system means you don’t have to play with the disc in your computer. Personally, I think this is a huge improvement over our previous copy protection requirements, which have always required a disk to play.

- Life happens. I know it’s unlikely, but for those unlucky few who install the game and have their machines nuked (virus, OS reinstall, major hardware upgrade, etc.) five times, EA Customer Service will be on hand to supply any additional authorizations that are warranted. This will be done on a case-by-case basis by contacting customer support.

-You can, of course, play offline without impediment or penalty.

Wow. You can play a game you paid for offline without “impediment or penalty.” We truly live in the modern age.

Through the link.

Atari just confirmed that the PC version of Alone in the Dark uses the unpopular SecuROM online protection system for verification.

“This requires that in addition to the content on the game disk, players download an additional component via an internet connection in order to install and run the game,” said the firm in a statement. “Once the game has been correctly installed and activated, it can be played whilst offline.

“To install the game on a different computer, players must revoke the serial number when uninstalling from the first machine (this is an automatic option during the uninstall process).”

The game’s minimum spec has also been released.

All the details after the link.

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Following news that Mass Effect will now no longer use SecuRom’s automatic ten-day authentication system, EA’s confirmed that Spore’s to ditch the unpopular measure as well.

Press release after the link. Good work for actually listening to people, EA. Thanks, Kotaku.

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