Alpha Protocol PC DRM Explained, Will Be Removed Eventually

May 3, 2010 7:40 AM

Publisher Sega has explained the ins and outs of the 'Uniloc: SoftAnchor' DRM scheme chosen for Obsidian Entertainment's espionage RPG Alpha Protocol, covering what it means for players and revealing plans to eventually remove the DRM altogether.

Uniloc: SoftAnchor will allow five active installations of Alpha Protocol at any given time, which can be deactivated either by uninstalling them or via a website. Online activation will be required only when the game is first installed, with the option to activate by "saving a file and transporting it to the computer that does have web access."

"We take your rights as a consumer very seriously, so we will provide a version of the game without license management (available as a patch) in around 18-24 months after release," assures Sega. "We can't be specific about the exact date due to business factors, but rest assured that we will provide an unprotected patch."

Alpha Protocol is slated for a PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 release on June 1 in North America, after hitting Australia on May 27 then Europe on May 28. As ever, retailers are offering their own exclusive pre-order bonuses, including in-game weapons and items.

Alice O'Connor

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Jonathan

 reply
May 3, 2010 7:52 AM

To me that is a well thought out and balanced approach to DRM. They've followed other DRM schemes with the five installs and online activation but have gone the further step of website deactivation (instead of forcing a telephone call) and created a tools for activating offline computers. I like that Sega has been upfront with their plans about removing the DRM and I wish more publishers would follow their example.
- one random winner
  
   reply
  May 3, 2010 7:55 AM
  
  It's definitely a step in the right direction, and while I understand wanting to grab every last penny they can I think 18-24 months is a bit long in the tooth, I'd rather see 6. Happy with where they're heading though.
  - Jonathan
    
     reply
    May 3, 2010 8:08 AM
    
    I think it's a balancing act - 6 months could delay purchases until then but 18-24 months most would probably buy at release knowing that the DRM will be gone. I doubt we'd see better than 12 months.
    - mobab
      
       reply
      May 3, 2010 8:20 AM
      
      I'm sure there will be a crack out before the 18-24 month time frame. How long has Settlers 7 been out before it got fully cracked?
      - Jonathan
        
         reply
        May 3, 2010 8:26 AM
        
        Cracks are irrelevant for this really. Sega's policy has to be unlinked to when a crack appears.
    - one random winner
      
       reply
      May 3, 2010 9:31 AM
      
      Lets put it this way, unless it's one of a select few titles (Civilization, Starcraft, and a remake of X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter are a few that come to mind), I'll be waiting for the non-DRM version, regardless of whether it comes or not.
- Ocelot
  
   reply
  May 3, 2010 8:34 AM
  
  Agreed. This seems to me to be a reasonable form of DRM. Let's hope it works as well in real life as it looks on paper.
- the archvile
  
   reply
  May 3, 2010 9:18 AM
  
  Yeah, I wish 2K could've done this. But no, Bioshock still has the DRM embedded in the installer, and is un-uninstallable, therefore it shall never be installed on my new i7 gaming PC. Can't trust it to not wreck the Windows 7 setup on there, and to not forbid me from running SysInternals utilities, even when the protected game is not running.
  
  Trust. That's what it's all about.
- [deleted] 716648330
  
   reply
  May 3, 2010 11:12 AM
  
  [deleted]
- pyrogen
  
   reply
  May 3, 2010 3:10 PM
  
  Yeah, seems reasonable to me.