Diablo III: Out of touch games industry to blame for always-online DRM
Devolver Digital tells games™ that the whole industry is guilty for Diablo III’s always-online DRM, and suggests Call Of Duty will be next.
As Diablo III’s online woes continue to cause distress for a large portion of gamers, Blizzard has reignited the debate surrounding the merits of persistent internet connections. While understanding the frustrations currently felt by Diablo III players, Graeme Struthers from Devolver Digital blames a myopic outlook shared by an entire industry out of touch with consumers.
“I can certainly see why it can make you cross,” he says to games™, “and sometimes I think we’re guilty as a collective industry. As a developer you’re used to having a good internet connection because you live in a town or a city that has a good infrastructure, so you assume the rest of the world is in the same situation and it clearly isn’t. You go home and everything is working as it should, but sadly for many people that isn’t the case.”
However, Struthers doesn’t see the industry dropping mandatory always-online gaming experiences any time soon. In fact, he discusses how it will become increasingly more prevalent, even finding its way into the biggest licenses on the gaming calendar.
“I think the idea of a persistant connection – which is a growing trend and not just in games but in many areas of content, and with initiatives like Gakai and OnLive and there are plenty of tech companies trying to figure this out – will certainly become an increasing part of the Über gaming franchises,” states Struthers. “You can imagine with the Call Of Duties and Battlefields that that’s pretty much where we’re heading.”
Do you agree with Struther’s views on Diablo III’s always-online DRM? How would you feel about Call Of Duty instigating a similar online-only single-player game? Let us know your thoughts below.
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