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EA/Bioware Drop Mass Effect PC DRM PDF Print E-mail

mass_effect.jpgIn a shocking display of clarity and reason, EA and Bioware have made an official announcement stating they have decided to drop the draconian every ten day activation fiasco they were intending for PC titles Mass Effect and Spore. Whether this is a reaction to the out of control firestorm this issue became last week , or EA/Bioware growing a collective brain within the last week we cannot say for certain. It is however, a welcome return to sanity and customer centric thinking within EA/Bioware, and one we applaud them for. An excerpt from Bioware's official statement...

There has been a lot of discussion in the past few days on how the security requirements for Mass Effect for PC will work. BioWare, a division of EA, wants to let fans know that Mass Effect will not require 10- day periodic re-authentication.

BioWare has always listened very closely to its fans and we made this decision to ensure we are delivering the best possible experience to them. To all the fans including our many friends in the armed services and internationally who expressed concerns that they would not be able re-authenticate as often as required, EA and BioWare want you to know that your feedback is important to us.

The solution being implemented for Mass Effect for the PC changes copy protection from being key disc based, which requires authentication every time you play the game by requiring a disc in the drive, to a one time online authentication.

This system has an added benefit of allowing players to seamlessly play the game without needing the DVD in the drive.


EA/Bioware's careful wording, as you peruse the entire post, seems to indicate that this was the plan all along. Just keep in mind that this is P.R., and full of more spin than a game of Twister in a centrifuge. Still, even those in ivory towers realize eventually that bad equals bad, so we are encouraged by this move. It shows that EA/Bioware do listen to their customers, at least when they and the press collectively scream foul at 120 decibels. And it also shows one of the positive ways the internet and free form discourse can be a catalyst for positive change.

We like that part the most. :)



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Missed one thing...
FoolWolf (193.221.47.xxx) 2008-05-19 02:36:40

And that is that the secuROM is still there with the three activation limits, the online activation etc.

Still too many unanswered questions, and too much of this semi-news of the 10 day re-activation. It is a red herring to cover up that they are using the same crap disc protection scheme that made Bioshock so "pleasant" to play...
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