No Ubi DRM system for PC R.U.S.E.

By Ellie Gibson Published 12 August, 2010

It'll use Steamworks API instead.

Ubisoft has announced plans to abandon its proprietary digital rights management system for the PC version of R.U.S.E.

"When R.U.S.E. is released in September, it will benefit from Valve's Steamworks API to offer the best community experience to players," reads a message on the Ubi forums.

"Consequently, a Steam account and Internet connection will be required to activate the game, as per Steam policy. For this reason, R.U.S.E. will not use the Ubisoft protection. Single player can be played offline."

Ubi's DRM system requires players to be online all the time. This led to complaints from consumers, an apparent attack on servers and further problems for players of The Settlers 7.

The company has not confirmed whether the system will be in place for other Ubi PC titles in the future.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (35) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Eraysor #1 2 years ago

    VICTORY

  • bad09 #2 2 years ago

    Brilliant move and I almost thought Ubiscum had come to their senses, but for some strange reason they will be returning to their horrid system as Hawx 2 is infected with it (although Steam have hidden it in the requirements rather than list the 3rd party DRM at the top so beware!).

    One step forward, 100 steps back....

  • matrim83 #3 2 years ago

    ^^ I KNEW it was too smart a move for Ubi.

    I guess they knew RUSE had limited appeal as it was and any sales losses because of the DRM would hurt it more than your average SC or AC.

    So as usual fuck you UBI.

  • UsernamePending #4 2 years ago

    Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha - ah-hahahahahahahahah!

  • Macdory #5 2 years ago

    Excellent news – I’m not a big fan of RTS games, but I may just buy this to boost Ubi’s coffers and let them know that I approve of the ditching of their shit’tastic DRM!!!

    It may go a little way to compensating for the “evaluation copy” of Splinter Cell I played through too …

  • mingster #6 2 years ago

    Its an RTS just build in an online matchmaking system ala SCII. Forsce the person to have an account ala Battle.net and link the serial number to the account. You don't need any other copy protection other than this.

  • sneetch #7 2 years ago

    I'm actually tempted to buy it just because it doesn't have that horrendous DRM.

  • cairbre1977 #8 2 years ago

    Now if they remove there drm from settlers 7 I might buy it if they don't the boycott continues

  • bad09 #9 2 years ago

    "I'm actually tempted to buy it just because it doesn't have that horrendous DRM. "

    I think this is their plan and matrim83 has hit the nail on the head with them not having faith to ride out the DRM hate on a weak title. As far as I can see no other game coming from them is released from the shackles of their always connected DRM, even MP focused AC: Brotherhood is not offering the "best community experience".



  • enjoy76 #10 2 years ago

    I was actually going to get this on one of my consoles purely because of the stupid DRM system so thankfully I can now get it on the machine an RTS is meant to be played on without OTT DRM requirements.

  • sneetch #11 2 years ago

    @bad09
    "I'm actually tempted to buy it just because it doesn't have that horrendous DRM. "

    I think this is their plan and matrim83 has hit the nail on the head with them not having faith to ride out the DRM hate on a weak title. As far as I can see no other game coming from them is released from the shackles of their always connected DRM, even MP focused AC: Brotherhood is not offering the "best community experience".

    I think that the fact that it's using Steamworks means that they'll be relying on the need for the Steam community for matchmaking to keep people "honest". A pity really, I'd still buy Settlers 7 in a heartbeat if they removed the DRM (I still might do whenever they do).

    I'm no longer in interested in "Conviction" or "Prince of Persia: Sands of Time in my Pants" though, those ships have sailed.

  • john_silence #12 2 years ago

    It wasn't that hard, Ubi, was it...

  • Eraysor #13 2 years ago

    If they remove the DRM from Splinter Cell for the PC I will actually buy it; it's literally the only thing putting me off.

  • Sunyavadin #14 2 years ago

    Still unable to play any of my steam games ATM as they all suffer the same memory leak that crashes my system about half an hour in (It only occurs on games which use steam, and it occurs on games as diverse as DoW2 and Portal - very different games by very different devs, so I know steam is at fault)

    This is why I'm really pissed off at having to order the 360 version of New Vegas, as console versions are always inferior.

    So now, whenever I see someone moving to steam as their DRM solution, part of me dies inside...

  • TheTingler #15 2 years ago

    @Eraysor: With good reason, don't give in. It was my test game for the DRM. I bought it at launch, and could only play it properly for the first time 2-3 weeks ago. There were plenty of times when the game would just drop the connection, throw me to the menu and make the single-player unplayable - and I STILL haven't been able to get a co-op game going successfully with any of my friends that foolishly bought it too, even after several patches.

    This isn't a boycott because of snobbishness. This is simple common sense and fear. Ubisoft has released a product that doesn't work and hampers gameplay, and most definitely does not guarantee that you can play any part of the game you paid for - until it is gone, I will not buy another Ubisoft game on PC.

    I hope this is the start of the abolition of the DRM. I really don't want it to be on Far Cry 3 (just buy it on console you say? Have any of you FC2 haters played the game on PC? It is VASTLY improved).

  • neems #16 2 years ago

    @SunyaVadin - I wasn't aware that New Vegas actually required Steam, given that the first one was Games For Windows Live.

    That aside, there must be something you can do about your Steam problem, it sounds like a faulty installation or something.

  • Rack #17 2 years ago

    That's what they said about Prince of Persia as well. I don't actually bear Ubi ill will on this one so I'm happy to case by case it, if they release a title I want without their insane DRM I will buy it. I really hope that they learn their lesson when and if they ever get round to Beyond Good and Evil 2.

  • Sunyavadin #18 2 years ago

    @neems
    The problem started a few months ago - so far I've tried:

    Reinstalling the games
    Reinstalling steam
    Switching to Windows 7
    Rebuilding my system

  • Kain201 #19 2 years ago

    @Sunyavadin:

    This is just a guess, but maybe you have faulty RAM. Could you try running memtest? If memtest finds a single problem there is a good chance that it is indeed the RAM.

  • trooperdx3117 #20 2 years ago

    I guess its Valve to the rescue again, [Insert heroic music here]

  • bad09 #21 2 years ago

    Apparently Ubi have now confirmed they can make themselves into even bigger cocks than they already are by dangling hope to PC gamers by removing the DRM on a game no one really cares about then keeping it on the ones we do.

    "Most" of their games will indeed continue using their crud. So apart from ruse it's business as usual as pirates and crackers have a better deal than people paying Ubiscum.

    [link url=http://www.vg247.com/2010/08/12/r-u-s-e-says-n-o-to-ubisoft-drm-but-most-ubi-pc-games-will-continue-to-use-it/
    ]http://www.vg247.com/2010/08/12/r-u-s-e-...[/link]

    Shame, this morning I almost thought I'd get to play some Ubi games this month :(

  • dingo75 #22 2 years ago

    Crackers have Steamworks under control so history will be continued:
    Every Ubi Game' singleplayer fully cracked even after the introduction of the launcher.

    H.A.W.X.2 will be the next test.

  • sneetch #23 2 years ago

    @Sunyavadin
    Still unable to play any of my steam games ATM as they all suffer the same memory leak that crashes my system about half an hour in (It only occurs on games which use steam, and it occurs on games as diverse as DoW2 and Portal - very different games by very different devs, so I know steam is at fault)

    That's odd, as I've been playing DoW2 and Portal on my Windows 7 machine and have had no problems. Are you sure it's Steam? Not a fault in your hardware or drivers as Kain201 said?

    Edit: No, you're right, mystery man, my post deserves a neg. Honestly, some people on this web site are bizarre.
    Edited by sneetch at 12/08/10 @ 17:01

  • FuzzyDuck #24 2 years ago

    Am i the only one that thinks requiring a net connection to activate games is utter gash?

  • pacifika #25 2 years ago

    try activation by post

  • Toothball #26 2 years ago

    @FuzzyDuck

    Compared to some of the methods in the past, needing an internet connection isn't so bad - http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/bangin...

  • TheTingler #27 2 years ago

    @SunyaVadin:
    "The problem started a few months ago - so far I've tried:

    Reinstalling the games
    Reinstalling steam
    Switching to Windows 7
    Rebuilding my system"

    Clearly some technical problem with your equipment then, as it's obviously not Steam, the games, or Windows. I agree with kain201 - try some different RAM, any type, even borrowed off someone else (or take it to a tech store where they can try it out). The RAM's the easiest and cheapest to change if that's at fault, and it very likely is the problem. If not, well then, you've got a real problem with your system.

  • uknortherner2000 #28 2 years ago

    Makes no difference to me. As long as Ubishaft continue to treat their paying customers like criminals, I'll continue to buy my games from another publisher instead. These boycotts are proving to be remarkably easy to uphold.

  • mingster #29 2 years ago

    @Sunyavadin I third the motion of dodgy RAM. Steam is fine, it's definately your PC. I had a machine that randomly crashed and it was a faulty ram stick.

  • curtlikesmeat #30 2 years ago

    Still waiting to buy Settlers 7....

  • Kain201 #31 2 years ago

    @notmyrealname:
    Steam isn't known for crashing. At least it crashed never on me. If it's just one faulty stick that is never used by the OS something like this can go unnoticed for months. And Sunyavadin said he switched to Windows 7, so I suppose he had a clean install of that at one point.

  • Sevens #32 2 years ago

    Oh good, caught between a rock and Steam.

  • hiddenranbir #33 2 years ago

    Sigh, I remembered when I had the choice of community, now it seems there is only the "steam community" fs.

  • FuzzyDuck #34 2 years ago

    @Toothball

    Haha, i remember reading that article in complete horror. Good point!

  • xenoss #35 2 years ago

    Well that sells it for me. I love RUSE, and the DRM made it a dilemma for me. Now that's taken care of, RUSE is a must buy for me. Except of course, its terrible box art that completely conflicts the slick UI design of the game. Ubi, please make some artistic sense.