I posted earlier this year about EA’s DRM schemes for Mass Effect and Spore. Originally, it featured a limit of 3 activations and constant online checks. Later, the constant online checks were removed, but the 3 activation limit was left in. At the time, I thought EA was doing a good job of responding to customer/press demands, and that the issue would die down.

I was apparently completely wrong. A lot of PC gamers are apparently still very upset about the 3 activation limit, and have made themselves clear on the Amazon page. Many people have skeptically said that this is a campaign by software pirates, or some sort of stunt started by SA goons or 4chan. I haven’t been able to find any evidence of this (please post if you know what started the protest), and it’s clearly taken on a life of it’s own. The last time I looked there were about 500 1 star reviews, but there are now around 2000 one-star reviews on Amazon that are complaining about the DRM, and 5000 people have positively voted on the highest-ranked one-star review. This is a lot of customers and potential customers that care about the issue, and I don’t think EA should really be ignoring them. This is also a fairly effective method of online protest, and must be having some sort of effect on Spore’s Amazon sales (although it is still selling well).

I can see why the DRM in Spore is getting more of a public outcry than the DRM in Mass Effect was. Mass Effect is a single player, linear experience, with a max of 20-30 hours of gameplay. Once you finish it, there’s no really compelling reason to go back to it a few years later. On the other hand, Spore is designed as a very replayable experience with deep customization. It’s exactly the kind of game you may want to break out in a few years to play through again. With a 3-activation limit, you basically won’t be able to without begging EA. Many players, including me, don’t like the thought of begging a company to let them play a game they paid $50 for. EA’s recent reaction hasn’t been too heartening, but we’ll see if this public protest makes them rethink things.