Yesterday, Ubisoft claimed that its controversial (and f*cking retarded) DRM servers were down due to what it called "exceptional demand." Not only was that comment insulting to anybody with a brain, it's also been revealed as a bare-faced lie. Ubisoft has since commented that the DRM servers were attacked.
"Apologies to anyone who couldn't play ACII or SH5 yesterday," explains the publisher's Twitter, clearly having not yet received the PR memo. "Servers were attacked which limited service from 2:30pm to 9pm Paris time."
It would appear that naughty Internet thugs, possibly disgruntled PC gamers who were protesting against Ubi's shady DRM, initiated a DOS attack on the servers. Ubisoft claims that only 5% of players were affected, although I am now struggling to believe a word the publisher says.
This definitely won't be the last PR blunder we see as Ubisoft continues to polish the biggest turd in the PC market right now.
Ubisoft confirms server attack [Videogamer]
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
8:00 AM on 03.08.2010
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That is all I can contribute.
Oh, and Activision, you aren't too far behind.
I can't wait, I bet there's going to be another DoS or DDoS that'll bring it down for several days.
Then maybe they'll get sued.
You are absolutely ridiculous, Noobisoft. You make ENRON look like a friendly, transparent company.
I guess for this equation to make sense, Activision would have to cease being the worst and Ubisoft would have to have more than 2 popular franchises for which to exploit.
Uhhh... no. Those guys are assholes.
Whether YOU agree with Ubi's DRM or not does not mean you have the right to lord over others and screw with their game.
Viva la Revolution !
But hey, keep on trolling Jim!
I see what you're saying, but consider this. If a bunch of PETA protesters stood outside fast food joints and actively prevented people from getting in and enjoying the greasy food, who would you blame? PETA, or the Fast Food joints for not having enough security?
Yet these hackers stopped plenty of people playing their games legitimately bought, and they are apparently 'heroes' for doing so. Only among gamers could such backwards values be tolerated.
They're admirable in many people's eyes because they're taking a company that doesn't give a shit about it's core consumers and telling them "this is unneeded and no one in the market even wants this"
If consumers don't stand up and tell companies "No, stop ripping me off" (like not buying DLC or certain games for example) they won't be as likely to pull these bullshit stunts. It's an extreme statement, hacking the servers, and i'm not advocating people breaking the law, but I respect the people who did it for hopefully showing ubisoft that they're throwing themselves to the wolves.
I would punch the PETA guys in the face and the go in to the resturant and complain about how the cops haven't shown up yet.
Look, I see that the hackers were wrong in this but ubi is not going to learn. The only people hurt are the consumers here. What will happen when the power plant for those servers explodes and it takes them a week to rebuild it. This is just an example of how flawed this concept of anti piracy really is. There are too many variables to effect this system and hackers were the first to effect it so. This is the point of this, not LULZ HAX enjoy your GAMEZ!!!1!1!!1 No, this is an example of a stupid flawed service that will only fail.
Oh I'm not taking sides in this, it's just I find arguing a moot point on who is right and wrong stupid. 'tis a shame people can't play a game they bought, but I just hope they knew about this drm when they bought it.
This is just getting funnier and funnier
His PETA example is perfect... you might agree with the point of view that this DRM is horrible, but you do not get to force that opinion on others. Joe from Toledo bought the game and cannot play it because of hackers, that is the end all be all. Ubisoft's system was working surprisingly well before hackers took his game away.
As an aside, the customers aren't the only ones hurt. Ubisoft are too, both in financial terms and in PR terms. That is what the hackers wanted, of course, but they achieved it through illegal means. Just because the hackers used digital means to commit their crime, rather then the old fashioned way of bombing the place, it doesn't make them right, admirable or decent in anyway.
how about this, if this drm wasn't here THAT WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED! You didn't even see WHAT I was saying! I don't agree with hackers taking a game away nor do I agree with Ubi using this shit! Look, I see you hate people that hack or whatever but you missed my point. I was saying that this sort of thing will not be just do to hackers as this just happene to be the first issue that came up with this. Issues may come from the ISP or power going out WHO KNOWS what. That is the point. It's stupid when people need to bend to the publisher to play the game. If they want to control how and where I buy it fine but this? Again too many variables control that aspect of my exeriance as these hackers hurt so many with an already flawed system.
Btw, I wasn't knocking his example, I just thought of the most extreme reaction to that situation. Think before you flame on someone. Now I am on a phone so I can't read what I just wrote, so mind repetition or typos.
That's what these hackers have done. Now, by all means, protest the DRM. Heck, I think it's pretty stupid as well. But do protest it legally. Don't buy the game, write letters to Ubisoft explaining why you aren't buying the game etc.
Oh, I was thinking this for a while now but how much do they have to spend on damage control, bandwitdh, servers, maintance for single player games. I mean, really who thought that was a good idea. I'm sure the business side forced the tech to does this. The system.... It's just so bad it's just sad now.
"Joe from Toledo bought the game and cannot play it because of hackers, that is the end all be all. Ubisoft's system was working surprisingly well before hackers took his game away."
Joe from Toledo may or may not be a sad panda for not being able to play his game, I don't know.. it would be presumptuous of me to even pretend to guess what a hypothetical person was feeling about his video game. But I can say that Ubisoft's prior system was working even better.. you know the system.. the one where the consumer buys the game and then gets to play it. That's it. That was the whole system. It worked fantastically.
I know you want to be the devil's advocate here, and I'm sure you'd love nothing more then to bash a bunch of faceless pirates, like they're some sort of plague on society. The fact is Ubisoft absolutely should have prepared themselves for an internet backlash and if they didn't put up the proper security modules, whatever it is that that requires, then they are ultimately to blame. You don't implement a new system until you are ready for said implementation, and they were obviously not ready.
Ubisoft screwed up and dropped the ball, and now they were found to be lying about that. That's all very bad business practice no matter how you try to paint this picture and demonize pirates, as if they're some sort of organized mafia.
I'm really not trying to sound like a dick here, but go ahead, you can write some letters, man. The rest of us will stick to something that actually raises eyebrows.
You know the saying, you have to break some eggs to make an omlet.
So you support illegal activity then? Hacking, sabotage and the like?
"how about this, if this drm wasn't here THAT WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED! You didn't even see WHAT I was saying!"
Oh I know what you are saying, I even agree with most of it, I am just saying it is an opinion. PETA has the opinion that eating animals is obviously wrong, if you go to a PETA forum you will see that they talk about meat eaters as scum who have no idea just how utterly wrong they are. They would force everyone tomorrow to stop eating meat if they had the power, because dammit they are just SO right, so OBVIOUSLY right, that to force their will on others is just the right thing to do.
And that is insane.
Same thing here... DRM protesters so SURE they are right that harming paying customers and the company that makes the game means nothing to them, because they are so OBVIOUSLY right in their protest.
"Joe from Toledo may or may not be a sad panda for not being able to play his game, I don't know.. it would be presumptuous of me to even pretend to guess what a hypothetical person was feeling about his video game. But I can say that Ubisoft's prior system was working even better.. you know the system.. the one where the consumer buys the game and then gets to play it. That's it. That was the whole system. It worked fantastically."
I agree, and when I see Prince of Persia and Call of Juarez 2 on my shelf and know there is no DRM on them what-so-ever it makes me happy.
This is not about whether the Ubisoft system SHOULD exist, this is about the fact it does, people accepted that and bought the game, and then hackers took the game from them. Whether YOU agree they should have bought the game in the first place or not, it's none of your business. This is between Ubi and the customers and the hackers that got between them.
I don't really agree with MMOs, paying monthly to access a game and all that? BS if you ask me. If I hacked WoW to prevent people from playing it though I would be a total douchebag, because I would be forcing my opinion on others in some form of "damn the torpedos" protest.
"So many of you are conveniently ignoring the fact that if people DIDN'T STEAL GAMES in the first place, this industry-wide DRM problem wouldn't even exist. Piracy is the root issue, and there's no clever spin or justification that anyone can use to deny that."
Exactly.
No one likes to say this though, it's cooler to blame the massive company than it is to blame the mass amount of idiot gamers who steal everything.
I think we're all ignoring the very crucial point that he could if he pirated the game. Yes hackers and pirates are bastards but I think the hackers were actually being smart about this. It's like if PETA protested a restaurant that tortures animals and cooks them alive and pointed you in the direction of a good torture free burger place.
It's not Ubisoft's fault they were hacked but it's not the customer fault they have to pay for Ubisoft's methods. (Oh and I don't really support the hackers as much as the crackers in this situation because ruining everyone's chances of playing this WAS a dick move)
Agreed. I will support cracking of games but not the piracy of them. Torrenting a DRM free version of a game you just bought doesn't seem like an issue to me as much as torrenting a game from a series you like without paying jack shit.
@StingingVelvet
Don't call them gamers. I usually don't judge or label people but hell if you don't buy ANYTHING you play I don't think you deserve to be called a gamer.