Bulletstorm Caught Up in Always Connected DRM Controversy

A phrase included in the End User License Agreement of the upcoming first-person shooter Bulletstorm suggested that the game would require the player to be always connected to the Internet while playing it, but developers have offered a rebuttal, saying that the language was a mistake.

Gamers found that the license agreement for Bulletstorm, which as all those linked to video game is rarely read carefully, says, “Persistent Internet connection and acceptance of End User License Agreement required to play.”

Adrian Chmielarz, who is the leading developer working on Bulletstorm, sent a message on Twitter, saying, “No, Bulletstorm PC does not require any constant connection, only for install and for online play (duh!)”, adding an expletive to better get the point across.

So gamers who plan to get the new title from People Can Fly can hold off on the outrage and get the game without fearing about their Internet connection dropping out in the middle of play time.

Video game developer and publishers have seen the requirement to always have an Internet connection while playing as a way of limiting piracy, especially on the PC, as it asks each copy of a game to continually authenticate itself to central servers.

The system was first rolled out on a big scale by Ubisoft for Assassin's Creed 2 and it certainly helped limit piracy for the first few weeks after release, although the game has since then been cracked.

But the always connected system has also attracted criticism from those who get the game through legal means and cannot have an always on connection, with the public asking that alternative authentication processes be included in future titles from Ubisoft.

Bulletstorm is prepared for launch on the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 and the PC, coming on February 22 in North America and three days later in Europe.