Earlier this week, Maxis stepped up to the Reddit community for an AMA on the upcoming SimCity. Normally, this would be a good thing. This time around, not so much. Reddit users asked the Maxis representative about the game’s DRM, and the answer was nothing short of terrible.
How would you like to play the new (Will Wright-free) SimCity that not only has always-online DRM, but also stores saves online instead of locally? What does this mean? You will not be able to save your games in the new SimCity unless you are online.
Is this really where we want to go? Is this the type of restrictive and tyrannical behavior really something we want to lie down and accept? There is literally no way for someone to be all right with this.
Publishers point the finger at pirates for their invasive and unreasonable DRM methods, but pirates aren’t the ones being punished. Paying consumers are the ones taking the brunt of this. Pirates will undoubtedly be able to get the game for free with no DRM, while paying consumers will have to struggle just to play the game they paid for.
It’s backwards. Piracy has been a problem for decades, obstructive DRM methods aren’t going to stop it in its tracks. People don’t just pirate because of the high cost of games, they pirate them because of the restrictive DRM publishers tack onto their titles in an effort to “protect their intellectual property”. It’s become an act of protest over the past few years, and it’s easy to see why.
Why do paying customers have to be treated like criminals? It leaves a sour taste in my mouth, and I don’t like it. I’m going to pass on this SimCity. Sorry, Maxis. We’ve had a lot of good times, but I don’t think we can be friends anymore. Maybe next time?
[Update: Perhaps not surprisingly, EA’s always-online DRM has blown up in their faces. It’s a sad week for long-time SimCity fans.]
