A screenshot from Dragon Age II, set for release on PS3, Xbox 360, and Windows PCs March 8th.
Game publishers are relentlessly set upon by web denizens for their DRM measures. If I had a penny for every comment posted on this blog stating that the writer is refusing to buy another Electronic Arts or Ubisoft game until they stop using a particular copy protection system, well, I wouldn't be rich but I could at least afford to take the family out for a nice dinner.
I'm not saying I'm a fan of highly restrictive DRM policies. However, Piracy is rampant, especially on PC. A pirated version of Call of Duty: Black Ops was downloaded more than four million times during the final two months of 2010, according to TorrentFreak. It's hurting bottom lines and sometimes even puts the jobs of hard working developers who make the games we enjoy in jeopardy. Clearly, some form of DRM is necessary.
Fortunately, it looks like the latest entry in at least one popular Electronic Arts franchise is not going to be overly crippled by obtrusive DRM.
Based on a BioWare forum post that went up Tuesday and was subsequently picked up by Shacknews, the upcoming role-playing game Dragon Age II will use a combination of lighter DRM restrictions that ought not prove too offensive to most people.
The Edmonton-based EA subsidiary is not going to force players to maintain a constant Internet connection in order to play, nor will it require the game disc to be in the tray. What's more, consumers will have the ability to install the game on as many machines as they like. Such measures have understandably rankled the feathers of dedicated PC gamers in the past.
So how will they protect their game, aside from the standard license registration process?
The first measure is called "release control," which will keep the game from activating prior to its March 8th release. It will keep the software safe until it launches and then automatically remove itself.
Second, EA is implementing a novel system that allows each licensed copy to be played on a maximum of five machines every 24 hours. At the risk of sounding judge-y, if you plan on playing the same game on more than five machines in a single day your greatest problem is likely obsession, not DRM.
The last piece of the security pie comes in the form of login checks, which will take place every few days. You will need to be online for these checks.
For those who purchase the game via Valve's popular digital distribution system, Steam, no additional security protections will be added outside those that Steam already employs.
I doubt even these light measures will satisfy the most hardcore DRM haters who pine for software completely free of usage restrictions, but as a real world solution I think it works nicely. It lets consumers install the game on all of their current and future machines, and without the need for a persistent web connection they can play wherever they are, be it in planes, airports, hotels, or remote cabins.
In short, the vast majority of PC players will be well served. This is DRM gamers can live with.