Ubisoft thinks their always-on DRM is “a success”

Yesterday, news hit the web that Ubisoft’s latest addition to the Driver franchise, Driver: San Francisco, will require users to stay online at all times.

This draconian form of DRM is obviously not very popular with Ubisoft’s consumers. Fans were vocal in their outrage over always-on DRM with Assassin’s Creed 2 and, at least for a few titles, Ubisoft seemed to back down on their stance by removing the restrictions. But that changed.

In a statement provided to PC Gamer, a Ubisoft representative classified the overly restrictive always-on DRM as “a success” for the company. “[We have seen] 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.”

As unfortunate as rampant piracy on the PC platform is, it’s ultimately the loyal, honest consumers who are punished by restrictive always-on DRM. Such DRM may play some small part in cutting down piracy, sure, but it’s hard to justify it when, through no fault of their own, an innocent consumer is locked out of their game because their connection dropped out.

Does the DRM bother you, or do you think it’s a necessary evil?