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Ubisoft DRM was "attacked" at weekend News

PC News by Tom Bramwell

8 March, 2010

Ubisoft has blamed problems with its controversial digital rights management solution for PC games on outside attacks.

The publisher told Eurogamer that very few players were unable to access PC versions of Assassin's Creed II and Silent Hunter 5 yesterday due to the outage, but apologised to those who did experience problems.

"Ubisoft would like to apologise to anyone who could not play ACII or SH5 yesterday," the company said in a statement this afternoon.

"Servers were attacked and while the servers did not go down, service was limited from 2.30pm to 9pm Paris time [1.30pm - 8pm GMT].

"95 per cent of players were not affected, but a small group of players attempting to open a game session did receive denial of service errors.

"All players with an open session during the attack were not affected.

"We also confirm that, at this time, no valid cracked version of either Silent Hunter 5 or Assassin’s Creed II are available."

Ubisoft's DRM system requires players to be online at all times while playing PC versions of its games.

There are benefits to the service - cloud storage of save-games, the ability to install and play from multiple locations - but the publisher has come under fire from PC gamers who resent the security measures and worry about being booted out of software they paid for if the internet goes down.

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Comments: 1-50 of 95 Next →

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Diogo_Ribeiro
08/03/10 @ 13:30
#1
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SH5 has been thoroughly cracked. Of course it would be bad rep to admit otherwise.
thedaveeyres
08/03/10 @ 13:30
#2
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"...and worry about being das booted out of software they paid for if the internet goes down"

Fixed it for you.
Eraysor
08/03/10 @ 13:31
#3
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Regardless of the source of the disruption, it just proves that Ubisoft don't actually have the infrastructure or security to support their ridiculous DRM.
cyacomini
08/03/10 @ 13:33
#4
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Dear Ubi,

You should find this url of interest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firewall_%2...
Skurmedel
08/03/10 @ 13:33
#5
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Installing and playing my game on different computers shouldn't be a benefit, it should be a given.
KillerMonkey
08/03/10 @ 13:34
#6
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Can I read that as "95 per cent of players are no longer bothering."?
chicknstu
08/03/10 @ 13:34
#7
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The publisher also said that, of course, these outages only affected players who legitemately purchased the game. People playing pirated copies were unaffected.

Wait... no they didn't
vegard
08/03/10 @ 13:35
#8
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5% encountering problems = 5% too much
sneetch
08/03/10 @ 13:41
#9
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I love this "95% were unaffected" thing. Who here believes it's accurate and indeed anything other that a wild, completely fabricated number?

After all, how do they know how many people were unable to connect as they were, by definition, unable to connect?
Edited 1 times, most recently on 08/03/10 @ 13:43
SinnisterOne
08/03/10 @ 13:42
#10
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cyacomini: if you think firewall is problem solver, you are a bit naive
Nithron
08/03/10 @ 13:43
#11
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It's a bit of a moot point really. Servers do go down for different reasons, and really, you shouldn't be unable to play a singleplayer game because of it. why they went down that particular time really isn't important.
TeaFiend
08/03/10 @ 13:43
#12
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Wouldn't lots of people constantly sending a few mb of data every few minutes cause this sort of DoS problem?
VicViper
08/03/10 @ 13:44
#13
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this is why we can't have nice things, if this info is legit and people did attack the servers then what a master stroke. Its a toddler approach to gaming, break stuff because you can't play with it like you want to, Fantastic.

Its still shitty DRM but ruining it for other people who are willing to put up with it however stupid that course of action that is is not on.
cyacomini
08/03/10 @ 13:46
#14
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@ SinnisterOne - Well having been a network engineer for the last 10 years, I know a firewall isn't the be all and end all but...

It's a good place to start!
sneetch
08/03/10 @ 13:47
#15
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@TeaFiend
Wouldn't lots of people constantly sending a few mb of data every few minutes cause this sort of DoS problem?

Good point! :) Also, lots of people just attempting to log on constantly wouldn't help.
Haloboy!
08/03/10 @ 13:47
#16
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Drm roll please.

Here it is the game slightly transformed
just a bit of a break for the norm
just a little somethin' to break the gaming sessions
of all that hardcore gaming that has gotten to be
a little bit out of control it's cool to cry
but what about the hackers that annoys and upsets the legit crowd
the legits just got a soft subtle slap
ffs Ubi's drm servier is broke now try to fix it

Ubi Ubi soft, it's no more sales for you time.
Optimaximal
08/03/10 @ 13:49
#17
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Of course, this is what 'they say'. We'll never know the truth of the matter until someone inside Ubisoft leaks it.
Darren
08/03/10 @ 13:52
#18
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Yeah... yeah, right Ubi Soft... it was the pirates... great excuse, that way you can absolve yourself entirely of blame and pin it all on the pirates (presumably the outside attackers?) instead, who we all know are the reason this kind of absurd DRM exists in the first place.

Even if this is true, why on earth did UbiSoft let this kind of thing happen in the first place? Surely they must have known it might happen and should have had measures in place to avoid it? That they didn't puts the blame back at their feet IMHO and they need to acknowledge full responsibility for it seeing as it's their DRM scheme.

Oh and I was still having problems with the game at 11pm here in the UK as the game dumped me to the desktop with no error message after about 90 minutes of play as I was scaling a tower in Venice. I suppose that was the fault of these outsider attackers too, huh? ;)
bad09
08/03/10 @ 13:52
#19
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If it's true Ubi deserve it. I do feel for the people who chose (rather oddly IMO) to support Ubi and their DRM but it's their problem not mine, my money stays with other companies until it's gone.

Go hackers, give Ubi hell!
Murton
08/03/10 @ 13:53
#20
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And this is why the system is so opposed. DRM server goes down for whatever reason, through "attacks" like this one, routine maintenance, a power cut where the servers are hosted or a whole host of internet related issues and people can't play the games that they have paid for.

Games companies have the right to protect their products and therefore their income, but once the way they exercise those rights negatively impacts on genuine consumers, that's an own goal.
Praetorianer
08/03/10 @ 13:58
#21
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Conspiracy!

Pirates, dos attacks, Ubisoft publishing made up numbers....this is like

Popcorn, please!
Darren
08/03/10 @ 13:58
#22
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The irony is, of course, that if this online DRM didn't exist then most of those annoyed 5%, who Ubi Soft claim had issues with AC2 yesterday, would likely have been able to play their single player game just fine and dandy.
Darren
08/03/10 @ 14:02
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@bad09 - UbiSoft promised that this DRM of theirs would work just fine so I bought AC2 knowing that the only problem I might have is the odd pause every now and then if my connection dropped. I didn't expect to have to wait over half an hour to resume a save game I was itching to play nor did I expect to be dumped back to the desktop because of server issues.

I've been playing AC2 for almost 19 hours over the weekend and think the game is incredible and highly addictive, definitely a contender for Game of the Year IMHO. However, the DRM problems are doing their best to spoil my enjoyment of the game which is a real shame. This kind of poo-poo DRM scheme deserves shit games not outstanding ones like AC2.
Der_tolle_Emil
08/03/10 @ 14:03
#24
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Just for all you "network pros" out there. No, a firewall is not going to fix this. And no, you cannot do much against such an attack.

That is besides the point though. Why the servers go down doesn't really matter, but then again it has never been a mystery as to what might happen if they go down and how this affects legit gamers.
bad09
08/03/10 @ 14:10
#25
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@ Darren

I know how great the game is all the console guys and reviews have said so, but like I said on the forum to you, great game or not no one should be supporting Ubi in this, even if you think "hey it should be alright I have internet and Ubi promised it will be OK".

Sorry to say people who actually paid money to support this DRM asked for this. Perhaps next time you all won't be so quick to throw your money at companies with no regard for consumers in the battle for imaginary lost sales.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 08/03/10 @ 14:13
BuckoA51
08/03/10 @ 14:11
#26
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What's more remarkable is that people actually even bothered to buy these games at all with such draconian DRM on them.
Darren
08/03/10 @ 14:12
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Der_tolle_Emil - "Just for all you "network pros" out there. No, a firewall is not going to fix this. And no, you cannot do much against such an attack."

If that's true then this DRM is fatally flawed because what can Ubi Soft do to prevent it happening again except drop it entirely so the game doesn't need a permanent online connection? :?
ChthonicEcho
08/03/10 @ 14:14
#28
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The amount of bollocks in this statement is making me grit my teeth. They're not even trying to put their failure in a fancy PR excuse. They are outright lying.

I've lost what little shred of respect I had for the company. Atrocious business practice, even by today's standards.
Darren
08/03/10 @ 14:16
#29
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@bad09 - That's unfair IMO.

When I bought the game I expected there might be some minor problems due to my not-entirely-stable internet connection but I didn't expect the things I mentioned (like long delays and the game quitting) nor did anyone else I'm guessing. If AC2 had been merely OK or worst then I wouldn't have bothered with it, period.

Even now though, with the problems I've, had I'm still glad I bought it because I've almost 20 hours of joyous, fun gaming. It's just a shame such a great game is saddled with such appalling DRM.
SheffieldSteel
08/03/10 @ 14:17
#30
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This was not a Denial Of Service attack.

This was a simulation of what would happen if, for some reason, large numbers of gamers attempted to play an Ubisoft game.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 08/03/10 @ 14:20
bad09
08/03/10 @ 14:24
#31
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@ Darren

Come on mate! It's not like the entire web did not suspect this would happen.

Edit - Oh and again quality of a game means NOTHING. Great game or not and whether you enjoy it or not. This DRM has to go, buying their games you support this DRM which you say you don't like.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 08/03/10 @ 14:26
JahB
08/03/10 @ 14:25
#32
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Usually i'm the first to defend devs/pubs and their copy protection, but a case like this is simply ridiculous. Ubisoft, sort your shit out
RobertFoster
08/03/10 @ 14:30
#33
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"We also confirm that, at this time, no valid cracked version of either Silent Hunter 5 or Assassin’s Creed II are available."

Well, that's the main thing, isn't it? *eye roll* *eyes fall out*
bad09
08/03/10 @ 14:31
#34
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1Dgaf
08/03/10 @ 14:35
#35
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I read somewhere that they went down due to unexpected demand.

Something's fishy in Hamlets denmark.
AJGB
08/03/10 @ 14:35
#36
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What an unexpected turn of events!
SAMagic
08/03/10 @ 14:41
#37
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Ubisoft are not at fault whatsoever, not if you replace the words "attacked" with "logged on to the servers" and "hackers" with "paying customers".
jellyhead
08/03/10 @ 14:43
#38
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Their forums have been up and down all day. Must be pirates. Not that they are a nice place to go with two guys wandering around accusing everyone who reports an issue as being a pirate. Helpful, really helpful.
mr_pink
08/03/10 @ 14:45
#39
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My solution: got Creed II used for 360 (swapped for MW2), no DRM and Ubisoft didn't get my cash
Shakey_Jake33
08/03/10 @ 14:47
#40
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Well, this is what happens when you buy a game that relies on a constant connection to a remote server. Glad I scrapped my previous plan to buy AC2.
bad09
08/03/10 @ 14:48
#41
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@ mr_pink

That's my plan if it's not gone by the time I have access to a 360 again (about a month). They'll get nothing and I won't need a cracked version either!
loopy
08/03/10 @ 14:49
#42
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"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87pevh2Q0...

skip to 3.30"

Yup, spot on.

VicViper
08/03/10 @ 14:56
#43
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@mr_pink

I thought they published it for the xbox 360 too? and disregarding that its was developed by ubisoft monteral so ubisoft got you money regardless unless you got it preowned or just up and pirated it.

If it helps the money they got came from the console side of things which has the best DRM of all being on a console where you have no choice except what the platform holder gives you Yay!
oef!
08/03/10 @ 15:04
#45
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Or, maybe we could just grow up and admit that the true villain of this story is not Ubisoft and their DRM but the happy guys and gals who are forcing them to use such measures. Cut the bullshit and place the blame where it is due.

Errm, nobody forced Ubisoft to use such an utterly stupid DRM implementation.
Shakey_Jake33
08/03/10 @ 15:07
#46
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Pirates aren't tempted to the good side by the stick, they clearly aren't very keen on the idea of paying for what they use. These people are not your customers, nor are they a potential customer base that can be targetted. On the other hand, legitimate customer are driven away by the stick.
GreyBeard
08/03/10 @ 15:09
#47
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How the hell are cloud saved games an advantage? I mean how big and hard to transfer around are regular pc game saves?
Skurmedel
08/03/10 @ 15:10
#48
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GreyBeard, enormously large, ... it won't fit on a floppy ;)
chiz
08/03/10 @ 15:11
#49
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95% of players were not effected because they were using a pirated copy.
mingster
08/03/10 @ 15:19
#50
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Exactly Jake PC pirates won't have bought this game anyway. So they aren't affecting them at all.
The only people affected are legitimate purchasers who mostly will be completely unaware that this DRM even exists.
All they know is they can't play their game or it quits them out. Sorry but its a flawed copy prevention scheme it needs replacing with something less intrusive.. Maybe just one net check per gaming session and not a constant check.

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