DRM, PC, Ubisoft

Like most PC games, Ubisoft titles carry a limit on the number of machines on which they can be installed. However, Guru3D has found that the limit also applies to hardware components. The site set out to perform one of its regular VGA and graphics performance analyses on the recently released Anno 2070, testing the game on two graphics cards in three different PCs. That proved impossible when, after activating the game on each rig, he switched graphics cards only to be met with an activation prompt and subsequent message that he had used his entire allocation. More >

Ubisoft says Ghost Recon Online represents a shift in thinking in its strategy to combat piracy on PC after its use of DRM was roundly criticised. The publisher's upcoming Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, due next March, will only be released on consoles. Ghost Recon Online, a free-to-play shooter that is currently in closed beta, will be exclusive to PC. More >

Rock Paper Shotgun reports that Ubisoft has fulfilled its promise to remove From Dust's always-on DRM in a patch; update the game through Steam now and play offline to your heart's content. Meanwhile, Ubisoft confirmed yesterday that the Eric Chahi god sim will finally be released for PlayStation 3 on September 14 in Europe, and September 27 in North America.

The publisher has pulled a series of volte-faces regarding From Dust's PC DRM, with conflicting statements and forum posts promising the DRM would be removed or toned down. If the latest one is to be believed, however, the controversial always-on DRM is to be removed. "We recognise that one of our posts in the From Dust forum regarding the need for authentication in the game was not clear," it reads. "We sincerely apologise for the misunderstanding. Our tech teams are working on a patch that should release in approximately two weeks that will eliminate the need for any online authentication."

Ubisoft has been busily raising the ire of PC gamers for some time now, delaying the release of many of its games and, in Driver San Francisco's case, requiring a persistent online connection for the game to be played. "We've heard your feedback requiring the permanent internet connection requirement for Driver and have made the decision to no longer include it," the publisher told Rock Paper Shotgun. Instead, the game will only require an internet connection for a single check when the game is launched.

The publisher once again got on the wrong side of PC gamers this week when it was revealed that the PC version of the upcoming Driver San Francisco requires a constant internet connection. Speaking to our friends at PC Gamer, an Ubisoft representative said the end justified the means, with the publisher seeing "a clear reduction in piracy of our titles which required a persistent online connection, and from that point of view the requirement is a success."

Ubisoft has confirmed, in a tweet from the game's official Twitter account, that the PC version of the upcoming Driver San Francisco will require a constant internet connection to play. Ubisoft's PC DRM has been the source of some controversy since its debut in 2010 and in January, the publisher said the inclusion of its DRM in future titles would be decided on a case-by-case basis. In a bizarre attempt to head off a fan backlash, a subsequent tweet reads: "Bear in mind though that the PC version of Driver San Francisco is released simultaneously to consoles."