This week Ubisoft, publisher of Assassin's Creed and other top franchises, indicated it would join the trend of locking games content behind a one-use code. Perhaps it was music to investors' ears, but it struck a harsher tone with gamers.
A top Ubi executive specifically invoked Electronic Arts' so-called "Project Ten Dollar" when analysts asked if the company had a plan for someday taking a share of the lucrative used sales market. "We are looking very carefully at what is happening with EA regarding what we are calling the $10 solution," said Alain Martinez, "and will probably be following that line sometime in the future."
Gamers understand that publishers aren't charities and are in business not only to turn a profit, but to grow. But for a company whose implementation of PC digital rights management could not have been handled more poorly, they were not inclined to give much benefit of the doubt. Some also suspect Ubisoft intends its "$10 Solution" to cover the core components of a title, not simply its bonus content.
"I honestly don't see anything wrong with publishers trying to push new sales over used/rental. They are in business to make a profit after all," said Kotaku commenter KillerBeeTX. "What I have a major problem with is charging used game buyers for major game features like multiplayer. That is completely crossing the line.
"A few years ago, we were all joking that someday down the road we'd be nickel-and-dimed for key components of games and we are sadly getting to that point in right now."
Editor's Note: Kotaku's Week in Review will now begin the site's weekend report, merging the purposes of the old Kotaku Originals feature and Talk Amongst Yourselves, which published at this time. We'll continue to present a categorized list of all original coverage by the staff, led by a recap of the week's top story, and reader reaction to it.
We invite you to comment on the news of the past week - or what you may anticipate in the next - in the Official Open Thread beginning underneath the recap.
- Top Stories
Assassin's Creed Publisher Could Copy EA's Downloadable Content Model
I Kept Playing - A Happy Ending - Kotaku Talk Radio: May 19, 2010
- Columns
Well Played: The Growing Spectacle of Gaming's International Spotlight - Reviews, Previews, Hands-On and Impressions
Bit.Trip Runner Micro-Review: Running Down A Dream
Super Mario Galaxy 2 Review: In Praise Of Superfluous Mario
Skate It Micro-Review: Skate...Or Die?!
Rocket Knight Micro-Review: High As A Kite
We Get Our Lightcycle and Disc Throwing On In Tron Evolution
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Review: Help Yourself
Looksley's Line Up Micro-Review: Broken Promise
Frankenreview: Lost Planet 2 - Features
The Scientists Who Made A Zombie Game - News
Why Can't I Stop Buying DS Games?
Curses Don't Count, But Courage Does In The Next Rap Game
Diving Into Toy Story 3's Toy Box
Thank Duke Nukem, A Little, For Alan Wake
Aussie Xbox 360s Get Cable Television
Invisibility Bugs Vexing Some Red Dead Redemption Players
Okamiden Is The DS Game We Expected
Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned Is A Guilty Pleasure
PAX East Breach Code Theft Suspect Faces Arraignment
Another Countdown Clock Sorta Ruined! But Hey, Virtual-On!
This Shrunken Head Is Your Game-Winning Prize, Believe It Or Not
The Spikes and Spears of Lara Croft's New, Great Game
Beware This Ruinous Prince of Persia Glitch [Spoilers]
Lara Croft And The New Addictive Game
Final Fantasy XIII, Batman Selling Millions (Millions!)
This Guy Has Bigger Balls Than You
Lessons Of The Mario Kart Cheaters
Split/Second Review: A Blue Shell Game
Wii Games Will Sport American Heart Association Seal of Approval
The Reject Pile Of Spring 2010
Nintendo Stresses "Glasses-Free" Aspect of Nintendo 3DS
Flipping Through The Nintendo History System - Numbers
iTunes Chart Toppers: Zombie Infestations - Numbers
Several Unscripted Moments with Madden's New Announcer
Madden Taps Gus Johnson for Video Games' Top Play-by-Play Job - Perspectives
Why Are People Buying PS3's
What Are You Looking For In A Video Game? - Reactions
TUD: What's the Best Sequel Ever?
Speak-Up On Kotaku: Persona 4 Love, Muramasa: The Demon Story, Helmets, And Drunken Hedgehogs
A Week (Or So) In Comments
- Republished Features
5 Crazy Controllers That Never Should Have Seen the Light of Day
The Absurdity of Video Game Speech
Guilt and Gaming the Morning After
Fanboy! How an Innocuous Word Turned Abrasive
Mario Music of Golden Proportions
Game Design as Make-Believe: Participation
Imagination and The Secret History of Video Games
The Importance Of Writing
Distilled To A Purer Substance
Score!
Video Games Aren't Killing Laser Tag, They Can Coexist - Fashion
No More Heroes 2 Inspires The First Video Game Lingerie Collection
A Short History Of Daisy Dukes
The Helmet Question