Fresh off copying from Xbox Live with its "Uplay" service, Ubisoft is now taking a leaf out Valve's book (The Big Book of Steam), introducing a range of new anti-piracy measures for the company's PC games.
Ditching the controversial "StarForce" system of digital rights management, Ubisoft will now be moving its PC game copy protection services to Ubi.com accounts.
This new system will allow unlimited installs (rather than the limits seen on other DRM systems like SecuRom), let you play games without a disc in the drive, and even save your games remotely to Ubi's servers, meaning you can swap between computers and pick up right where you left off (similar to how Valve's Steamworks system operates).
The catch? You have to be online to play your games. It's the only way you'll be able to verify with Ubisoft's servers that you're playing a legitimate copy of a game. So if you get intermittent internet connectivity, or travel a lot, or just like playing games on your laptop, you're in trouble, as no "offline" mode will be offered.
It's a brave decision on the part of Ubisoft, one even Valve may still be a few years away from making. Be interesting to see how severe a backlash there is from users, or whether the company has made the right call in deciding most people are 100% connected to the internet 100% of the time.