Uplay On Consoles! Console DRM to Ensue?

[alphamalet]

Welcome to hell, ladies and gentlemen... I found this article on IGN a few minutes ago

Ubisoft, in an effort to ensure its Uplay service is "deeply integrated" with next-gen systems, will release a dedicated app for Xbox One and PlayStation 4. "The thing I can't say, because we're not quite ready to show it, because of next-gen and because of the advancements on the technological side as well, our key focus is to make this experience as simple and seamless as possible," Ubisoft's Stephanie Perotti told digitalspy.

Perotti continued, "The barriers we had on previous generations of consoles go away. It's not like a barrier to go there and to redeem a reward, but it's something we will bring to you naturally in your game." Additionally, Ubisoft is considering save and chat systems for its service, and will release version 4.0 of Uplay's digital distribution platform next month, which will enable Twitch streaming.

Uplay allows players to complete tasks and earn points that unlock items in other Ubisoft games, but it's also a crucial digital service for the publisher. Its PC service added other third-party companies' games, including EA, WB, Telltale, and Bohemia. ?Ubisoft is committed to continually improving Uplay and making it the most rewarding set of services available to our customers,? Ubisoft VP of digital publishing Chris Early told IGN in February.

Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/13/ubisofts-uplay-app-coming-to-xbox-one-ps4

So here we go folks. The service that Ubisoft uses to enforce DRM is coming to next-gen consoles via an app? What do you think? Will they require this app to enforce some sort of DRM? Just how "deeply integrated" do they want it?

My 2 cents:
I just don't understand how Ubisoft can justify DRM as anything but anti-consumer at this point. According to Ubisoft, the piracy rate on PC is at 90%, and that's with their bullshit DRM. If those numbers are true (which they aren't), then why bother with DRM? It's obviously not preventing anything and is just an annoyance to the honest customer. Not to mention the fact that piracy on consoles is hardly a big problem. So the purpose of this obviously isn't to prevent piracy; if it is to prevent used games then fuck Ubisoft!

 

[Weaver]

Here's a link for anyone interested:
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/09/13/ubisofts-uplay-app-coming-to-xbox-one-ps4?abthid=5233495263fa693d7d000006

Welp... uPlay is the entire reason I stopped buyin Ubisoft games on the PC.
To any console only players: Run. Run far away. You don't want this.

 

[shrekfan246]

Eugh...

I can't imagine Ubisoft wouldn't try putting in some form of online DRM. They may have backed off lately on the PC front, but that doesn't mean they've abandoned the entire track of thought.

Guess I may not be buying Ubisoft games at all anymore. Shame, I was interested in seeing Beyond Good & Evil 2.

 

[Andy Shandy]

The only thing I must ask about this is how exactly is it implemented on the consoles? Is it just like the whenever you go into uPlay now but as an actual app? I won't have any trouble with that. I won't use it, but it isn't terrible. If it does turn out to be DRM then yes, that is definitely bad.

I won't judge it just yet though, until we see how it works.

 

[Demandred20]

Muhahaha wait until you have to go through 3 online systems just to launch one damn game. Anyho whos surprised? No matter the hate on MS for the xbone I refuse to think that trainwreck was somehow done behind the back of the major publishers. In fact I bet good money they were the ones responsible for the whole damn thing to start with. Yeah MS implemented in the worst possible way but the idea itself probably came from publishers. Their "OHH we didnt know a thing" afterwards wasnt very convincing.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

I'm pretty sure that's how it was always going to be: MS did mention that the always online requirement was left up to the publishers and such, and that they encouraged it. Is anyone really surprised it ended up that way? Granted, we don't know if it will be DRM, but I'll be very surprised if it isn't.

 

[MysticSlayer]

Hopefully, this app is optional, but given that we are talking about Ubisoft here, I highly doubt it will be optional. Personally, I just hope this isn't going to launch into many different publishers requiring their app in order to play their game. We all know EA will try to do it at the very least.

This is definitely something I'm keeping a close eye on. If it turns out that publishers start forcing us to use their game clients to play their games, especially if it turns into always online crap, then I'll probably just be avoiding the consoles where this becomes rampant. In other words, it probably means avoiding the PS4 and Xbox One (I doubt Nintendo will allow anything like this on one of their systems).

 

[klaynexas3]

Don't worry, I don't buy their games anyway. Assassin's Creed grew boring and its story wasn't good enough for me to play Assassin's Creed 2 three bloody times. And if they try to enforce it, I can expect a back lash equivalent to the XBone heat. Cross your fingers lads for a nice crash and burn. And by burn, I'm hoping Hiroshima levels.

 

[Smooth Operator]

I wonder if MS and Sony will even allow it, Uplay is much like Steam DRM and a store in one package... there is no way in hell that stuff will be allowed to work against console stores.

But anyway the PC version is the worst shit ever, other DRM types are more invasive malware types but none have prevented people from playing legitimately more then this, and these fuckers never tell you if their games will be always online.

 

[alphamalet]

I'm not a huge PC gamer, so I'll appeal to those on the escapist:

Is this Uplay system worse than Origin? What makes it so terrible?

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Fuck Uplay. It's essentially a way for them to hawk their trivial wares and waste your time and it annoys me. If I find myself in the position of considering to buy a Ubisoft game in the near future, Uplay will be one of the things that will contribute to the case for not buying it.

 

[Caiphus]

I wonder if MS and Sony will even allow it, Uplay is much like Steam DRM and a store in one package... there is no way in hell that stuff will be allowed to work against console stores.

But anyway the PC version is the worst shit ever, other DRM types are more invasive malware types but none have prevented people from playing legitimately more then this, and these fuckers never tell you if their games will be always online.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/09/05/ubisoft-drm-piracy-interview/

Although plenty of the answers in that interview are fucking stupid/arrogant, the MO seems to be one-time activations for all games in the future. And no always online. Although they were dodgy with it in the past.

Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of UPlay either. It hasn't really given me any problems, but I'm not a fan of buying something on Steam and then having to deal with additional clients to run my game. It's still better then GFWL, although that isn't saying much. Don't know what it will be like on consoles.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

I'm not a huge PC gamer, so I'll appeal to those on the escapist:

Is this Uplay system worse than Origin? What makes it so terrible?

Its considered one step up from GFWL, lays on-top of other services like Steam and used by a company who used to use Always Online DRM to prevent 'pirates.'

Think Steam back in 2004 and you get an idea how stable the client is and that Origin has better features than it.

It even requires Steam anyway for it to install games as shown back during the Splinter Cell release.

If you're thinking of purchasing the game directly from uPlay to avoid the problem, think again, as uPlay must communicate with Steam during the installation process, and as such will simply throw up the same error.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127191-Update-Splinter-Cell-Blacklist-Refuses-To-Launch

So in short, it be complete shite.

 

[GryffinDarkBreed]

Y'know, people complain about Call of Duty so much, but Activision has yet to implement such shitty systems, or even that Project 10 BS Ubisoft and EA tried.

 

[Negatempest]

Fucking called it. Even with the backtracking from Microsoft over hardware-built in DRM, publishers were still going to use next-gen to try and push their DRM 'services' onto consoles even more than they do now.

Expect to have to use Uplay, Origin and the like in order to play games from Ubisoft and EA. Which in all likelihood means having to have your console connected online in order to play those games, even if the consoles themselves don't need to be online to function anymore.

That is what bugs me so much about the rose-tinted glasses a large amount of customers have for the 3rd party. Yes, they make great games, but have you work for them to play it now. If the ps3/360 is anything to go by with what to expect from the 3rd party, I really want nothing to do with 3rd party AAA developers and publishers at this point. Sure Nintendo gets flack for having region locking. But heck if that region locking gets in the way of your official purchase of the game from an official retail store in your area. You can officially buy EA, Activision, and Ubisoft games from a retailer, but will still have to jump through hoops just to play them. Now with ps4 and ONE have officially become region free, expect the 3rd party developers and publishers making even more steps to prove you are the "real" owner of your game.

EDIT: Apologies to those that say Activision doesn't have DRM, they are right they don't. They just run a good portion of their franchises into the ground.

 

[UnnDunn]

Um guys, calm down. This is not "more DRM". It's just an app. Uplay already features prominently in Ubisoft's 360 and PS3 games, but it ships on the game disc alongside the game, and you access it through the in-game menu. Ubisoft is merely saying they will break it out into its own app for PS4 and Xbox One.

It will be a lot like the Call of Duty Elite app or the EA Sports Season Pass app. It's just a separate app you can download from the marketplace to manage your Uplay profile without having to load up a Ubisoft game first.

Put the pitchforks down!