Ubisoft Apologizes, Removes From Dust DRM

Posted 08/23/2011 at 12:46am | by Nathan Grayson

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Wait, what? Did we really just write that headline? No, that can't be. But it is! It only took the dismayed cries and raised pitchforks of every PC gamer on earth, but Ubisoft has finally heard our plight. In a scant couple of weeks, From Dust's supposedly non-existent DRM will be given the “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” treatment. So then, this is it, right? The beginning of a new era, with Ubisoft and our beloved platform leading the charge hand-in-hand? Er, not quite.

“We recognize that one of our posts in the From Dust forum regarding the need for authentication in the game was not clear. We sincerely apologize for the misunderstanding. Our tech teams are working on a patch that should release in approximately two weeks that will eliminate the need for any online authentication,” reads a post on Ubisoft's official forums.

“This development time is required as we are working to ensure that those who have already started the game, and who’s progress is currently saved on our servers, will receive and save their game information locally. Once the patch is ready, players who already have the game will automatically receive the update on their next login and subsequent game sessions will be 100% offline.”

Which is all fantastic, except for the part where this appears to be an apology for the miscommunication – not the fact Ubisoft's games have been infected with a DRM plague, and definitely not the fact that From Dust's PC port is a shoddy shadow of what it should be.

We want to believe Ubisoft's finally turning a corner and following the neon-lit signs that point to Sane Town, but – given the circumstances – we're still quite wary. We really do miss Ezio, Sam Fisher, and... er, Car from Driver, though, and would very much like to stop actively despising everything they stand for. So please, Ubisoft, can we finally put all of this behind us and just, you know, play some videogames?