Ubisoft has about the worst digital rights management system in all of PC gaming, forcing users to stay connected to the internet at all times to play a game, even if it's singleplayer. Yet despite almost universal loathing for it, the company thinks it's a "success".
An Ubisoft representative told PC Gamer earlier today that the company had recently seen "a clear reduction in piracy of our titles which required a persistent online connection, and from that point of view the requirement is a success."
And here we see exactly why most publisher's approach to DRM is so wrong. Ubisoft is looking at a decrease in the number of pirated games as a success. But Ubisoft is a business, and a business exists to make money. Ubisoft makes money by selling video games. So a raw reduction in the number of free copies of their games floating around makes absolutely no difference to the company's bottom line unless there's a correlation between that and increased sales.
Yet by placing ridiculous restrictions on paying, loyal customers, Ubisoft surely dissuades people from buying its games. With piracy an issue that will never go away, isn't that what the company should be worried about?
Ubisoft: our DRM "is a success" [PC Gamer]