DRM Nightmares

Ubisoft’s controversial new DRM system started drawing fire the day it was announced and, thanks to problems over the weekend, it’s getting even more flak now. The system requires players to be connected to online servers even when playing single player games, and uses a save game system that keeps users saved game files on servers, rather than on local computers.

Over the weekend, these servers became inaccessible. Both Assassin’s Creed 2 and Silent Hunter 5 were affected by the problem, sparking numerous comments on forums and message boards around the globe. While Ubisoft described the problem as ‘unacceptable’, the words used by disappointed and angered gamers around the globe were far stronger.

"Due to exceptional demand, we are currently experiencing difficulties with the Online Service Platform. This does not affect customers who are currently playing, but customers attempting to start a game may experience difficulty in accessing our servers," the company stated. "We are currently working to resolve this issue and apologise for any inconvenience."

The biggest problem pointed out with the system is that while legitimate users could not play the games the games they bought, pirates around the globe were downloading and playing hacked versions.

"I don’t have any clear information on what the issue is since I’m not in the office, but clearly the extended downtime and lengthy login issues are unacceptable, particularly as I’ve been told these servers are constantly monitored," an official Ubisoft representative said on the company forums on Sunday.

"I’ll do what I can to get more information on what the issue is here first thing tomorrow and push for a resolution and assurance this won’t happen in the future. I realise that’s not ideal but there’s only so much I can do on a weekend as I’m not directly involved with the server side of this system."

Maybe a little over-time would have helped?