A Kinder, Gentler Copy Protection for Red Alert 3

Although some gamers may still reject Red Alert 3 because of the copy protection software, news of a gentler SecuROM may ease the minds of concerned consumers.

After all the hoopla surrounding the recently-released Spore PC game and its lovable DRM restrictions last week, EA has perked up its ears to the consumer backlash. According to a recent post by Executive Producer Chris Corry over on the EA forums, the upcoming RTS game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 will still feature SecuROM, but will not be quite as restrictive.

"Red Alert 3 is shaping up to be a world-class RTS game that will give you many hours of enjoyment," says Chris Corry in his forum post. "I think it would be a shame if people decided to not play a great game simply because it came with DRM, but I understand that this is a very personal decision for many of you and I respect that. As you might imagine, I’m a lot less respectful of those people who take the position that they will illegally download a game simply because it has DRM. Either way, we’re very proud of the hard work our team has put into this game, and we hope you will all enjoy it when it launches."

The biggest "improvement" consumers will encounter with Red Alert 3 (in comparison to Spore’s limitations) is the ability to install the game on five computers, not three. This means that consumers have up to five installations; anything beyond that will need re-authorization by EA Customer Service. Although the consumer will still need an internet connection in order to authenticate the game, Red Alert 3 can still be played offline "without impediment or penalty," and will not re-authenticate after the initial installation. Consumers will also be able to Play Red Alert 3 without the physical disk in the drive.

Set in the 1950s, the story takes place in a parallel universe where World War II never occurred, and Joseph Stalin leads a power-hungry Soviet Union. Red Alert 3 is the latest in the series since the release of Yuri’s Revenge back in 2001. Currently EA plans to ship Red Alert 3 on October 27 for Windows-based PCs and the Xbox 360 console.