Ubisoft DRM to require Internet connection

Ubisoft have finally confirmed the rumour that’s been doing the rounds for a few weeks: their new PC DRM will require an always-on Internet connection in order to play their games. And if the connection drops in the middle of a game, you’ll lose your progress. And if the servers go down, you won’t be able to play your game.

The new DRM will be in all announced Ubisoft PC games , including Assassin’s Creed II, Settlers VII, Splinter Cell Conviction, Silent Hunter 5, Prince of Persia and Ghost Recon. Ubisoft have confirmed that they “plan” to keep the servers up for all games in the future, but would not say they were “committed” to it.

Maybe the best way to defeat pirates is to ensure that no-one plays the PC version of your games?

Xbox Live Marketplace Upcoming Releases

Major Nelson has posted another blog post detailing some of the biggest releases on Xbox Live Marketplace in the next couple of weeks.

There’s some cool stuff on there, like the Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack 2 for those who didn’t buy ODST, and a few more Games on Demand, but the highlight for me has to be Splosion Man as the deal of the week. If you haven’t downloaded this neat little platformer already (why not!?) then 400MSP is an absolute steal. I would highly recommend at least downloading the trial with a view to a purchase, as it is probably one of the most fun games on XBLA.

Here’s the list:

Xbox LIVE Deal of the Week:

Feb. 1: Splosion Man, 400 Microsoft Points

Xbox LIVE Games on Demand:

Jan. 26: Dead Rising and Halo Wars

Feb. 2: Medal of Honor: Airborne

Xbox LIVE Arcade:

Jan. 27: KrissX, 800 Microsoft Points

Feb. 3: Chime, 400 Microsoft Points

Xbox Avatars Marketplace:

Jan. 28: Assassin’s Creed
Feb. 4 : Valentine’s Day and Carnival collections

Game Add-Ons

Jan. 27: Pinball FX Excalibur Table, 240 Microsoft Points

Jan. 28: Assassin’s Creed II: Battle of Forli, 320 Microsoft Points

Feb. 2: Halo 3 Mythic 2 Map Pack, 800 Microsoft Points