Shock and horror, folks. After the widescreen debacle that wasn’t really a debacle after all, another calamity struck PC BioShock players. Yesterday the 2K Games authentication server was offline for several hours, preventing buyers from installing during that time.
Although the servers are back up now, the problems with BioShock highlight the publisher’s dilemma of copy protection for AAA titles. Not only does BioShock require activation, it requires deactivation (through uninstalls)so that it can be reinstalled again. But according to reputable sources, that doesn’t always work either.
Add that to the disgruntled users pre-loading BioShock over Steam and then being unable to play until 4PM EST on Aug. 21, and you’ve got a large amount of angry customers.
A wise man would tell you that DRM / SecureROM / other copy protection schemes just limit legit buyers from playing their games of choice. But that wise man doesn’t need to get paid, either.
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[…] The game is good. And the concerns people have are not so much about the game, but about the launch and minor quirks. First there was the widescreen issue. I’ll refrain from calling this a debacle because it was actually intended on the part of the developers. Then came the SecureRom activation problems. Finally there was the Steam launch, also known as “Wait until 4PM EST.” […]