Despite earlier rumors, Eric Chahi’s new god-game From Dust will not make use of Ubisoft’s “always on” DRM.
From Dust is the new Populous-inspired game from Another World creator Eric Chahi and if that sentence doesn’t get you excited, there’s really nothing I can do for you. But if it does, and you’re planning on playing it on the PC, there is something I can do for you: I can annoy you with some bad news.
The sharp-eyed folks at Dark Side of Gaming noticed that the From Dust entry on Steam lists the game’s third-party DRM as “Ubisoft Online Service,” and while that could in theory mean a one-and-done online validation check, the “cover art” posted on Get Games carries a label warning, “A permanent internet connection is required to play this game.” Green Man Gaming also has a notice stating that From Dust requires “high speed internet access and creation of a Ubisoft account,” even though the game has no multiplayer component.
Ubisoft has yet to confirm or deny the reports but given yesterday’s news that Driver: San Francisco will require a permanent connection, it certainly seems likely. And also unfortunate; Ubisoft’s past troubles with its always-on DRM are well documented and while things may be better now – which is to say, you might not get kicked out of your game quite as much – I’m not going to hold my breath.
UPDATE: Ubisoft didn’t have much to say about the situation but what it did say was unequivocal: “It does not,” a Ubisoft rep stated when asked about the presence of the DRM. That’s good news – although on the downside, the game is still delayed. From Dust hits the PC on August 17.
