Diablo 2: Resurrected was released last year but just today it has been revealed that the game requires an internet check-in every 30 days in order to continue playing. That makes Diablo 2 one of the first games to introduce online DRM on consoles. Check out the tweet revealing the DRM below.
Online DRM hasn’t made its way to consoles in the same way that it has on PC. Microsoft was crucified by the gaming community in 2013 when it announced that the Xbox One would require an internet connection to run games. Microsoft’s original plan for the console was that it would require an internet check-in every 24 hours. Gamers who played offline would no longer be able to play games on their Xbox under Microsoft’s original plan. That led to the infamous “we have a product for people who aren’t able to get some form of connectivity, it’s called Xbox 360” quote from then Xbox head Don Mattrick that is memed online to this day.
The overwhelmingly negative reaction to Microsoft’s plans nearly killed the Xbox One before it even launched. A complete reversal on Microsoft’s part wasn’t even enough to quell the damage that was done by the original online-only plans. The Xbox One struggled severely in the first few years of its lifespan. It wasn’t until close to the end of the generation that Microsoft was able to rescue the console.
The Xbox One debacle killed online DRM on consoles. At least until now anyway. Diablo 2‘s online check-in DRM is no doubt serving as a testbed for Activision games since the online check-in doesn’t seem to be in other recent releases from the company. Ironically, with today’s news that Microsoft is purchasing Activision, maybe Microsoft will be the one to put an end to the DRM.
