• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Gameranx

Gameranx

Video Game News, Lists & Guides

  • News
  • Features
  • Platforms
    • Xbox Series X
    • PS5
    • Nintendo
  • Videos
  • Upcoming Games
  • Guides

Ubisoft DRM Monitors Computer Hardware, Breaks When You Change Graphics Cards

January 16, 2012 by Ian Miles Cheong

Ubisoft’s notoriously terrible DRM has an even worse feature: it’ll break if you try to swap out a piece of hardware in your computer.

drm

Ubisoft has been annoying PC gamers with its DRM for quite awhile now. PC gamers will find more reason to sulk about the company's attitude upon the discovery that Ubisoft's limited activation scheme is not only machine specific, but also hardware specific. Specifically, the DRM will know if you've replaced a graphics card.

A game like Ubisoft's Anno 2070 will not run if and when you swap out a graphics card. For gamers who regularly update their systems, such an action can render every game in their Ubisoft library worthless. Guru3D discovered this DRM 'feature' while they were trying to run a benchmark on the aforementioned game.

According to the website, the game simply stopped working when they swapped out the card. Attempts to reinstall the game and reactivate it were met with failure, as the DRM had assumed—wrongly—that the copy-protection was tampered with.

The company's insistence on implementing heavy-handed DRM into its games has earned it a formidable amount of ire from the PC gaming community, especially since the games it releases on Steam already come with their own copy-protection, courtesy of Valve.

Share this post:

FacebookTwitterLinkedInPinterest

Recent Videos

ELDER SCROLLS 6 RELEASE DELAY EXPLAINED, NEW GAME LETS YOU BE GOD & MORE

ELDER SCROLLS 6 RELEASE DELAY EXPLAINED, NEW GAME LETS YOU BE GOD & MORE

Hytale - Before You Buy

Hytale - Before You Buy

10 Recent Good Games That Didn't Sell Well

10 Recent Good Games That Didn't Sell Well

10 NEW Fan Discoveries That'll Get You Playing Again

10 NEW Fan Discoveries That'll Get You Playing Again

Does UBISOFT Deserve A Comeback?

Does UBISOFT Deserve A Comeback?

Top 25 NEW Action RPGs of 2026

Top 25 NEW Action RPGs of 2026

10 Gaming Ideas They Thought Were Good...BUT NO

10 Gaming Ideas They Thought Were Good...BUT NO

10 DLCs That BROKE THE GAME

10 DLCs That BROKE THE GAME

NEW Post-Apocalyptic Game Looks Insane, Another GTA 6 DELAY? & More

NEW Post-Apocalyptic Game Looks Insane, Another GTA 6 DELAY? & More

Category: Updates

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Roblox: How to Remove Chat
  • Pokemon Go: How to Unlock and Level up Max Moves
  • Rumor: Resident Evil 30 Year Anniversary Event Teased By Sheva Alomar’s Actress
  • Rumor: CM Punk Will Be The Featured Superstar In WWE 2K26 Showcase Mode – Will He Be The Cover Star?
  • Hi-Fi Rush Receives New PEGI Rating For Nintendo Switch, Two Years After Original Rating Was Pulled

Copyright © 2026 · Gameranx · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme