Today, Microsoft has turned their recent policy change on DRM back around. We haven’t heard them say anything about returning the original and much maligned always online requirement and used game restrictions, thankfully, but they are talking about bringing back the one part of the DRM fans were anxious about. Marc Whitten, the chief producer for XBox One, says that Family Sharing may come back.
Whitten has said that if family sharing is something the fans show they really want, the he and the XBox One team will “find the right way to bring it back.” He states that the inclusion of the plan may involve some technical hurdles, likely because the plan was part of a larger and more intense DRM program and relied on things like the always online requirement and the used game restrictions to work properly–or work within Microsoft’s financial plans.
Originally, Family Sharing allowed users to share their gaming library with up to ten “family” members, who likely didn’t have to actually be family. With Whitten’s claim of finding “the right way to bring it back,” it is highly likely the new family sharing plan will differ from the original. I expect it will be a much more limited plan, lowering the number of family members you can share with, changing the full-game sharing policy to a full game trial, or both.
We’ll have to wait and see to be sure. Stay tuned to Gameskinny to see what the Family Sharing plan becomes when Microsoft announces it down the road.
