I know! I'm surprised too.

Ubisoft has been an elephant in the PC gaming room for a while now. Whether leaving massive security flaws near your personal information or claiming a 95% piracy rate, the French publisher has drawn more than a little criticism as of late. Perhaps the most divisive thing about the company though, was its continued use of “Always-On DRM,” which required a persistent internet connection at all times–even for single-player games–lest you be kicked from the software. But now it appears that the tyranny is over.

Ubisoft’s worldwide director for online games, Stephanie Perotti, explains the transition thus: “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.” Therefore, not only is the controversial digital rights management on its way, but it has, in fact, been gone for months.

Of course, you will still need to be online to play multiplayer, but Perotti is clear on the new direction for solo gaming. “If you want to enjoy Assassin’s Creed III single player, you will be able to do that without being connected.,” he told Rock, Paper Shotgun, “And you will be able to activate the game on as many machines as you want.”

It’s clear that this is a big step for the company, and I give them all the credit in the world for finally making the right decision. Of course, it’s frustrating that this went on for as long as it did, but it’s really going to be up to the PC community to determine how quickly Ubisoft sheds its reputation. Maybe its digital distribution platform will help.

Source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Austin Yorski

A student of Literature and Religion at Florida State University, Austin Yorski is a jack-of-all-trades around BT. He goes by Austin or Yorski (but not both), and spends all the time he isn’t reading or playing football on writing, editing, moderating, and gaming. He can also collect all 120 stars in Super Mario 64 blindfolded.

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