Namco Bandai Partners supports 'always on' DRM, for now

from Elemental Forums

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/28/namco-bandai-partners-supports-always-on-drm-for-now/

Namco Bandai Partners, the former Atari Europe operation acquired by Namco Bandai last year, is a bit more supportive of Ubisoft's "always on" DRM for PC games than Blizzard -- but only a bit. Speaking to CVG, Namco Bandai Partners VP Olivier Comte called the technology "a good [approach] for one reason: I have no alternative today." He added that it's "certainly not" the best option, and "if I can make something else I'll do it, but it's better to do something than not do something."

It seems likely, then, that the same kind of DRM that has beset the PC versions of Assassin's Creed 2 and Settlers 7 will be present in Namco Bandai's Test Drive Unlimited 2 and The Witcher 2, at least in Europe.

Despite his reluctant adoption of DRM, Comte lamented the futility of such attempts to curb piracy. "I'm convinced that whatever system you put in place you can be sure that two hours before putting it out it'll be cracked in Russia," he said. "I think that the combat against piracy is very complicated because it's very complicated to explain to a 12-year-old that drag and dropping a file on a PC is piracy -- he was born with this."

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*facepalm*...and I wanted to buy the Witcher 2. :S

28,335 views 12 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top

Let's wait till the release. It would be ridiculous if Europe an AU would have this DRM but NA not.

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

I bought Settlers 7. Had a service interuption one day for 12 hours. Couldn't Play Settlers 7

I will never buy a Always on DRM game again. While I support their attempts to try and protect their property. I cannot support this method.

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Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

And how many hundreds of millions ($ not yen amounts) did Namco lose this year? Oh right, if you lose money in this industry, auto blame pirates... works every time:| .

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

I wouldn't care too much, but The Witcher 2. will be an awesome game. Argh....:rolleyes:

I don't understand the whole situation:

Despite his reluctant adoption of DRM, Comte lamented the futility of such attempts to curb piracy. "I'm convinced that whatever system you put in place you can be sure that two hours before putting it out it'll be cracked in Russia,"

That's it. So why the hell do they have to use this always on DRM? They are pissing off the paying customers again.

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting VonVentrue, reply 5

*facepalm*...and I wanted to buy the Witcher 2.


http://www.vg247.com/2010/06/01/cd-projekt-nothing-to-worry-about-over-namcos-drm-comments/

Anyway, while I prefer much less restricitive copy protection methods than the "always online" one (for obvious reasons), I don't blame companies for trying to prevent their products from being pirated to hell and back, I really don't.  

I'll blame them because it doesn't work. They aren't protecting a damn thing. They're just punishing the people who actually pay them.

Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top

It's far more complicated this time. Namco is just a publisher and only in Western/Northern Europe, Oceania, Africa and Asia. I hope CD Projekt decides things like this, not Atari or Namco.

Reply #8 from Demigod Forums Top

It would come down to the individual contracts between the publisher and developer.  In any case, the list of companies and games I'm having to avoid due to DRM or suspect business practices gets another name added to the list.  They'll probably blame the lose of further sales on the shifting gravitatinal pull of the Moon causing changes in sales patterns due to the inferred impact of the Moon's gravitational pull on the human body's water content and thus altering behaviours during certain phases of the Moon.  It makes more sense.

Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top

Don't worry about Witcher 2, CD Projekt made it clear:

http://elder-geek.com/2010/06/cd-projekt-red-speaks-out-against-drm-rumors/

Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting VBProject, reply 9
Don't worry about Witcher 2, CD Projekt made it clear:

http://elder-geek.com/2010/06/cd-projekt-red-speaks-out-against-drm-rumors/

How much of the actual decision is going to be in the developer's court and not the publisher's?

Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top

I think this game and it's DRM is fully up to CD Projekt.

In the worst case, at least Eastern European version (which is published by CD Projekt) will be without DRM.

Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting VBProject, reply 11
I think this game and it's DRM is fully up to CD Projekt.

In the worst case, at least Eastern European version (which is published by CD Projekt) will be without DRM.

Last I heard, the publisher has final say and Atari isn't exactly the poster child for "good" DRM policy.