Ubisoft DRM deactivates license when swapping GPU

Ubisoft has made a name for itself in recent years for making things extremely difficult for PC gamers.

It’s sad, because the publisher owns some great PC exclusive franchises, such as Anno, Settlers, Heroes of Might and Magic, and Silent Hunter, as well as the multi-platform greats such as Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell, which are popular among PC gamers.

The publisher’s reputation for enforcing draconian DRM policies goes back to Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, which wouldn’t even work on Windows XP Professional x64 Edition until the creators of the StarForce DRM released a special patch.

More recently, Ubisoft’s own Online Services Platform has required gamers to authenticate Ubisoft titles the first time they launch them, and then maintain constant internet connections when playing. So when Ubisoft servers go down, or players’ internet connections are on the fritz, customers who paid for their games cannot play them.

Now in a recent development, Guru 3D noticed when reviewing the recently release Anno 2070 that changing the test rig’s graphics card from a GTX 580 to a GTX 570 resulted in the game demanding a second activation.

Players get only three activations per license, which is something to consider if you’re planning on upgrading your PC anytime soon.

Meanwhile, those who did not buy the game and instead pirated it need not worry about hardware upgrades ruining their game, or being constantly online to play. A great way to look after your paying customers Ubisoft!

PC Gamer has requested comment from Ubisoft, but at the time of publication, the publisher had not responded to the query.

Sources: Guru 3D, PC Gamer