Unsurprisingly, Bioware's earlier announcement that the PC versions of both Spore and Mass Effect won't play unless they are activated online every 10 days caused quite an uproar among players.
Less than 48 hours after the story made it to the news, Bioware bowed the users' demand and decided to ditch the periodic online authentication requirement.
"BioWare, a division of EA, wants to let fans know that Mass Effect will not require 10- day periodic re-authentication", said the official press release.
"BioWare has always listened very closely to its fans and we made this decision to ensure we are delivering the best possible experience to them. To all the fans including our many friends in the armed services and internationally who expressed concerns that they would not be able re-authenticate as often as required, EA and BioWare want you to know that your feedback is important to us."
"The solution being implemented for Mass Effect for the PC changes copy protection from being key disc based, which requires authentication every time you play the game by requiring a disc in the drive, to a one time online authentication."
"This system has an added benefit of allowing players to seamlessly play the game without needing the DVD in the drive."
Key points:
- This solution allows gamers to authenticate their game on three different computers with the purchase of one disc. EA Customer Service is on hand to supply any additional authorizations that are warranted. This will be done on a case-by-case basis by contacting customer support.
- Games are authorized to the machine when the player installs and launches the software for the first time.
- We've all had those times when the discs get lost or scratched and you can't play a game you've bought because you need a working disc in the drive. With the new system players will no longer need the disc to play the game, but can instead simply retain the disc as back up for re-installation.