EA Backs Off From Heavy DRM; Goes Old School
It’s been a week filled with PC gaming DRM with companies talking about fancy new systems that aim to make everyone happy.
Electronic Arts, while credited with creating one of the largest DRM debacles ever with Spore, is now looking at a DRM solution that’s just plain old school. Rather than try to re-engineer or employ some elaborate scheme, the Sims 3 team is going with the last form of DRM that didn’t hurt legitimate buyers -- the CD key.
“The game will have disc-based copy protection – there is a Serial Code just like The Sims 2,” wrote Rod Humble on the Sims 3 news page. “To play the game there will not be any online authentication needed.”
Humble explained why one of EA’s biggest franchises will be getting such a simple form of protection: “We feel like this is a good, time-proven solution that makes it easy for you to play the game without DRM methods that feel overly invasive or leave you concerned about authorization server access in the distant future.”
Earlier this week, Microsoft, Valve and Stardock recently detailed their own new anti-piracy methods. Microsoft’s aims to stop pre-release games from leaking onto the internet, and Valve’s ensures that only the original owner of the game but no one else can make use of the executable. Stardock’s system appeared to be the best with consideration for resale, but still required a one-time online activation.
[I can't believe EA is agreeing with what I wrote in my story about HDCP. I guess there is hope--Ed.]
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The power of the internet saves the day.
YES!!!
It is very well known that DRM only makes it difficult for the authentic customer.
Guess they actually got alot of consumer complaints. Anyway the typical sims player isn't browsing the Pirate Bay as much as the FPS players, and they don't want to anger all the casual players who spend way to much on those games, so this move makes sense.
I was frustrated with EA's approach with a Battlefield 2 expansion pack. I had to register with EA and register the product on the internet simply to play offline. I quickly entered a never-ending loop of receiving a 'you're already registered' message and then a 'please register' message. After extreme frustration I emailed EA's support. I was pleased to see a quick response and after a couple of email exchanges the person claimed I was good to go. However, I found myself so frustrated with the whole experience that I totally lost interest and to this day have not fired up the game.
So yeah - don't make it so hard to play a game I paid for.
As someone on Kotaku said... PC gamers will show their appreciation by pirating the hell out of this
So far, I think Bethesda's trumps them all. Make games that kick so much ass that even if they're pirated a ton, they're still #1 blockbuster sellers for years to come.
As someone on Kotaku said... PC gamers will show their appreciation by pirating the hell out of this
So unfortunately true. It's a lose lose situation for the industry.
I dunno I remember on a few instances I switched to hacked version of game i own just to avoid the annoying DRM.
To anyone who thinks Sims getting pirated will hurt them, slap yourself real hard in the face.Spore was one of the most pirated games last year, yet it still sold what? Over 2 million copies? Probably a good amount more by now. Also you fail to realize this, people who pirate wouldn't have bought the game to begin with. So they lose little to no sales and in fact heavy DRM just makes it more likely to be pirated.
Why do you think they're taking this "risky" move with the Sims? Of course it's going to sell amazingly well regardless. However, they can look back and say, "Okay, the Sims 3 sold great, but look at the number of pirated copies. We shouldn't avoid DRM on less popular titles because they wouldn't be able to survive the same backlash. This just goes to prove that DRM is necessary."
PC gamers are just as stupid as console gamers. The latter lacks brains, and the former lacks common sense.
To anyone who thinks Sims getting pirated will hurt them, slap yourself real hard in the face.Spore was one of the most pirated games last year, yet it still sold what? Over 2 million copies? Probably a good amount more by now. Also you fail to realize this, people who pirate wouldn't have bought the game to begin with. So they lose little to no sales and in fact heavy DRM just makes it more likely to be pirated.
Please look up Koroush Ghazi's essay on piracy, courtesy of TweakGuides. Learn a little bit more about the economics of what Piracy really does, and the true point of DRM, and then think about it for a second. If we don't pay the people in the industry, the industry suffers. If the industry suffers, we suffer. Whether it be quantity, quality, or choice of medium, the user, ultimately, suffers - if the industry suffers.
It's a long read, but it's an incredibly good article, and it really makes some interesting points.
http://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_1.html
Why even use a serial number? What's the point?
Sorry, Marcus Yam, I doubt EA is doing this because of your article.
The last 2 games i bought, retail legit copies. I had to download a pirated copy to actually play the game. They both refuse to run without the cracked exe, but run fine(with the retail dvd in the drive) with the cracked exe.
Its utterly retarded when you have to pirate a game you bought legally so you can use what you bought legally.
DRM can kiss my arse. It doesnt stop pirates, but it pisses the hell off of legal users, like me.
Also you fail to realize this, people who pirate wouldn't have bought the game to begin with. So they lose little to no sales and in fact heavy DRM just makes it more likely to be pirated.
Finally, someone actually gets it. +1.
I was frustrated with EA's approach with a Battlefield 2 expansion pack. I had to register with EA and register the product on the internet simply to play offline. I quickly entered a never-ending loop of receiving a 'you're already registered' message and then a 'please register' message. After extreme frustration I emailed EA's support. I was pleased to see a quick response and after a couple of email exchanges the person claimed I was good to go. However, I found myself so frustrated with the whole experience that I totally lost interest and to this day have not fired up the game.So yeah - don't make it so hard to play a game I paid for.
Interesting. I have the Battlefield 2 Expansion pack sitting on my shelf here, unopened. Now I'm not so sure that I want to open it
why is toms hardware so arrogant that they think EA is exclusively agreeing with the article they wrote earlier at some point...
total BS... my respect for tomshardware is going farther and farther down the drain
one more stupid or arrogant thing like this and i'm just gonna plain stop coming here... toms is a joke now
The Sims 3 will not doubt be a major seller and with out any DRM this will only prove that DRM is not only useless but is a waste of money to the developers/publishers as well as a unnecessary pain in the butt to us gamers.
How NICE of them
I am a newcomer to gaming who just purchased Medal of Honor AirbornE.When my computer asked if I wanted to format the disk, I assumed the DVD was inadvertently shipped blank. Is there a possibility that this is related to what you refer to as DRM??
Funny that you say one lacks common sense when you lack intelligence. Not once did I say no DRM was risky, in fact I said the COMPLETE OPPOSITE. " heavy DRM just makes it more likely to be pirated." The risky parts I was talking about what games like Dead space, Mirror's edge, BF:Heroes, etc. The old EA would've of just stuck with old series that sold and not attempt new ones. Like I said, heavy DRM cost more then it saves. It's quite pathetic that my pirated copy of spore has much less problems then a DRM infested retail copy. Yet like I said before, spore still sold millions of copies. So no PC gamers are don't lack common sense, you just lack intelligence.
I was agreeing with what you said, and adding to it.
*ahem*
So we are back to the old Safe Disk method of just the CD-Key numbers/letters. That's great.
That's why for several years I didn't purchase any PC Games because of Starforce,SercureROM,Activation and other crap.
I just wonder why none of the game publishers / developers have decided to use some sort of USB fob / hardened flash drive for game control, since it would be, slightly, harder to pirate hardware than software.
Put the game as a free download but make customers buy a USB fob / secure flash drive (or two pack) that is required to be plugged in to play the game. You could then install the game on any machine you want and just take the fob with you. Given how cheap flash memory & embedded processors have gotten in the last few years, you could put a control chip / encryption chip and a few gigs of save-game room on a thumb drive sized object for less than $20 US. I'm not sure about anyone else but I'd be willing to pay the full game price + $10 to have zero install problems, no spyware / SecuRom BS, be able to install a game on any system I have access to and have my save-games (or whatever you want to put on the drive) with me.
Just a thought
Too bad. I really liked DRM on my machine.
I just wonder why none of the game publishers / developers have decided to use some sort of USB fob / hardened flash drive for game control, since it would be, slightly, harder to pirate hardware than software.
I think the key there is your use of the word "slightly". It'd still be cracked, and now your legitimate customers have the inconvenience of carrying around/needing to plug in a USB device whenever they want to play. Really no better, and possibly worse, than securom BS.
But I don't care, I've been playing Blizzard games almost exclusively for the last 10 years and I'm not about to stop now. DRM doesn't really apply to mp-centric games.
all i can say is Ya EA
the question you have to ask .. is EA getting rid of securom COMPLETELY NOW , for all new titles (of corsue it would e to clostly tor emove it from already released titles) . or is the the only new EA game that is revertign to cd key ?
Nope. It wouldn't be costy. They should just download the already cracked versions from torrent and package them as legitimate versions. That's all.
I think instead of spending alot of money of anti-piracy measures,
it would be better for game developers to find other ways to make the game available at more cheaper prices, which will eventually motivate more users to buy rather then owning it illegally
Because of invasive DRM and limited installs when ever a new title comes out first thing I do is check to see what kind of hassle I will have If I buy it.I believe EA if they return to CD key again will gain me back as a customer.As strange as it seems I like to buy when a game first comes out for the price they want for it.....It's my way of saying thanks.....But for that to happen I want my unlimited installs and no DRM thank you very much.
To anyone who thinks Sims getting pirated will hurt them, slap yourself real hard in the face.Spore was one of the most pirated games last year, yet it still sold what? Over 2 million copies? Probably a good amount more by now. Also you fail to realize this, people who pirate wouldn't have bought the game to begin with. So they lose little to no sales and in fact heavy DRM just makes it more likely to be pirated.
That doesn't make it right or justify those that choose to get it for free when it's only right that they pay for it. If I came over to your house and stole your idea would you like it? It's one thing to ask, it's another to steal something. Just because it isn't taken out of a store doesn't mean it isn't intellectual property. We aren't communist China. Here, original thought and ideas have value.
Honestly, nothing shows how incredably stupid PC gamers are quite like statements to the affect that some game sold 2 million copies at retail so who cares how many people pirated it as they made thier money already.
By that logic it should be perfectly within reason to go down to your local car lot and steal that honda you've been wanting once they hit the #1 car sales mark for the year. Hey they already made thier money right?
People seem to think that software, movies and music are some kind of different and seperate catagory to all other products sold. That in some crazy way theft of these items is not the same as stealing a hard item from a brick and mortar store. When in fact it is, these items are not produced for nothing.
There are many layers of workers that make thier living off producing these items. There are the programmers, artists, modelers, animators and others actually working on the game itself. Then there are the people in the supporting industries that press the cd/dvd, create the packaging, handle distribution. Then there are the people working retail at game stores and retail chains. The more people download the pirated games the more all the people working in all these supporting industries and the game studios themselves suffer.
There is not limit or magical number that a game crosses that says they have made their money so its ok to pirate now. That is just plain stupid and speaks volumes for the character of the people that actually defend thier actions as if there was any way to possible justify the outright theft of someone elses hard work.
The rule is simple if you want something then pay your money and enjoy it, if you aren't willing to pay for it then don't play the game. NOONE has ever forced anyone to pirate a game. I don't care what they charge for the game, how overrated it is, where it is avaiable from, what the system requirements are. That is not grounds for pirating the game.
The other big lie is that anyone that pirates a game would never buy the game anyways if they didn't pirate. There are a lot of people that will buy software if they don't find it at the pirate site that they frequent or if the MP part of the game requires an actual purchase.
These people have the resourses to do the right thing, they just choose to play it for nothing due to thier lack of character and the anonymous nature of the web. These same people wouldn't have the balls to walk into a WalMart and stick a game box in thier coat and walk out. The chicken shit assholes instead do the exact same thing from the privacy of their home, where they think noone will see them and there is no risk involved.