Spore, Mass Effect to require online validation every 10 days
BioWare technical producer Derek French lit up the Mass Effect forums this past week announcing that both their game and (on page 2) fellow Electronic Arts title Spore come with SecuROM, a DRM system that requires activation the first time you play the game and then a re-check every ten days, with the first check on the fifth day.
French explained that there is no external program installed and the check will be run through MassEffect.exe (or Spore.exe, presumably), the data transfered will be the CD key and a "unique machine identifier of some type" and that he has been told, "there will be clear labeling on the package."
Despite all these reassurances, an unfortunate scenario brought up by one poster -- of ignoring the game 11 days and then trying to play with no internet -- was proven true, as French confirmed you wouldn't be able to play the game under that situation. Of course, it's not like you're gonna put any of these games down for ten days, right? Right? Eh, we hate DRM.
(Note: We do understand the irony of making a Samara/The Ring joke when -- spoiler -- her primary goal was to have people make as many copies as possible.)
[Via Shacknews]
