One of the most anticipated titles this year (or next, when it will most likely be released) will have one of the most hated DRM system of all time - 'always on' DRM.
Blizzard, the developers of Diablo 3, has promised that the eagerly awaited game will require a constant Internet connection. But instead of saying this is for anti-piracy, Blizzard says this is to prevent players from cheating.
The innovative company seems to have forgotten the meaning of the term "offline mode", and will not be offering such a mode for players that want to play Diablo 3 when an Internet connection is not readily available. "I want to play Diablo 3 on my laptop in a plane, but, well, there are other games to play for times like that," explained Rob Pardo, Executive vice president of game design at Blizzard.
And gamers might just do that, to buy and play "other games".
To be fair, Blizzard has promised a whole host of existing online features to make up for the annoying DRM, and with Blizzard's reputation for delivering fantastic online experiences via Battle.net, maybe the company thinks it has enough "good will" credit left to pull something like this. Time will tell, of course.
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