EA’s Overly Restrictive DRM Causes Mini Riots in Sporetopia
by John Kershaw on September 8, 2008 at 9:32 am
Despite being one of the most anticipated games of this year, some people are not overly happy with the overbearing and unnecessary DRM EA have placed on the game.
To “protect” the game, EA have kindly added SecuROM DRM (Digital Rights Management) to all copies. This limits the number of installs you can make (in Spore’s case, 3) and requires you to activate the install over the net. But it gets worse. Over the past few years accusations have been made of the software and the stupidly high level of access it has on your PC.
For some reason, SecuROM requires the highest level of access to your data possible, higher than the average user gets. It can then watch and tinker with whatever it wants, and send that information to whatever server it deems fit. When BioShock came out, there were accusations (since semi-cleared) of SecuROM acting suspiciously like a root kit because of this.
It seems many Amazon buyers are none too happy with the discovery of SecuROM on their legally bought copies of Spore and have had a mini-riot in the reviews section. There are currently more than 200 single-star reviews, giving the game an average score of 1.5 stars (out of 5).
The most popular review, written by Erich Maria Remarque, points a very damning finger at the DRM:
First of all, the game incorporates a draconian DRM system that requires you to activate over the internet, and limits you to a grand total of 3 activations. If you reach that limit, then you’ll have to call EA in order to add one extra activation. That’s not as simple as it sounds, since when you reach that point EA will assume that you, the paying customer, are a filthy pirating thief. You will need to provide proof of purchase, reasons why the limit was reached, etc, etc (it has all happened before with another recent EA product, Mass Effect).
EA, of course, is not obligated to grant you that extra activation or even provide that service. In a couple of years they might very well even shut down the general activation servers, because “it’s not financially feasible” to keep them running. What you will be left with is a nice, colorful $50 coaster. And you will be required to pay for another copy/license if you want to continue playing.
When will these companies learn that treating people as guilty before proven innocent will only ever do harm? The irony to all this is that it’s possible to get a copy of Spore without the DRM, but you’ll have to go through the illegal, piracy channels to get it. Yaaar.
Via: Fred Beneson’s Blog, Team Teabag
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10 Comments » |
on September 8, 2008 11:14 am
The best part is, once EA’s servers go down, no more Spore for the people who actually paid!
on September 8, 2008 11:18 am
meh. the game isn’t that great anyway. expect a full review within the next 36 hours.
on September 8, 2008 11:28 am
Wade, unless Ripten persuades me otherwise with this review you promise, I’m not going to be getting Spore…it just seems kind of, well, crap.
on September 9, 2008 5:03 am
Console version or I’ll never buy it. One of the reasons I stopped giving a crap about pc gaming. The only thing DRM will do is drive people to pirate the game even more, quite the opposite of the intended effect. Or just plain not play it at all.
on September 9, 2008 10:17 am
What really pisses me off is the media coverage this lame behemoth is receiving.
My mother called the other day just because the news guy said there’s a game “the best game of all time” he dared to say on tv (sigh) where you can “play god”…Is second life all over again;all my non-gamers relatives trying to be cool at me talking about shit they don’t know.
Way to go Willy Wright,you should be forming a hyping consorce with Molyneaux based on pure marketing and games with deformed ugly purple & green beings,then claim you created “Absolute freedom”,like in all your other games.
Why is it I don’t see any comment of MGS4 or Bioshock or Oblivion in the bloody news?
on September 9, 2008 10:24 am
What really pisses me off is the media coverage this lame behemoth is receiving.
My mother called the other day just because the news guy said there’s a game “the best game of all time” he dared to say on tv (sigh) where you can “play god”…Is second life all over again;all my non-gamers relatives trying to be cool at me talking about things they don’t know but saw on the news.
Way to go Willy Wright,you should be forming a hyping consorce with Molyneaux based on pure marketing and games with deformed ugly purple & green beings,then claim you created “Absolute Freedom”,”Something that Redefines Videogaming”,like in ALL your other games.
Why is it I don’t see any comment of MGS4 or Bioshock or Oblivion in the ****ing news?
on September 9, 2008 10:25 am
Sorry,I’ll just go flush myself in the toilet for that
on September 9, 2008 11:00 am
Will Wright did say himself it was overhyped and a casual game. I guess he was right.
on September 9, 2008 11:02 am
I believe that John Kershaw is awesome and his mohawk will s.he world…
on September 10, 2008 10:01 am
John’s mohawk isn’t rainbow enough.