From Dust released for PC today and, so far, Ubisoft is being burned alive. The game includes DRM that requires internet connection each time you load the game which, on its own, causes a little bit of a stink. However, the big issue is stemming from their initial promise that the game would only require a one-time internet-based activation.

 What’s more, a lot of gamers are complaining that the game will stop working even if they do have a connection.

The major problem stemmed from the gamer base’s understanding that they would only have to go online once and then they’d be free to play. In light of this issue, Ubisoft announced today as well that they won’t be requiring constant web access for their upcoming game Driver, a concession that sits somewhat poorly considering it does nothing to relieve the playerbase after today’s bizarre mishaps.

I think Ubisoft is having a really hard time balancing what it should and shouldn’t do because of the way the gaming market has adjusted. When Ubisoft first premiered in 1986 with Zombi, there were no free-to-play giants like Riot or Valve. But now, with gamers being treated like royal gods by more and more companies, Ubisoft has not adapted to the way players demand to be respected. Instead of giving and rewarding the players for not being bad people, Ubisoft has continued down the old-timey mentality of “bad people are bad and we need to make sure people know that they can’t be bad”.

I have no qualms with regular DRM. Steam does an incredibly effective job and keeps me paying more money than I ever would’ve wanted to for games. But when DRM becomes restrictive to the paying gamers, that’s when the gloves come off, Ubisoft.