• 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

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Before You Buy

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Before You Buy

ROUTINE - Before You Buy

ROUTINE - Before You Buy

10 Upcoming FPS Games That LOOK INSANE

10 Upcoming FPS Games That LOOK INSANE

Red Dead Redemption (PS5 Switch 2) - Before You Buy

Red Dead Redemption (PS5 Switch 2) - Before You Buy

This Game Wants To Be SKYRIM 2 Before Elder Scrolls 6

This Game Wants To Be SKYRIM 2 Before Elder Scrolls 6

Marvel Cosmic Invasion - Before You Buy

Marvel Cosmic Invasion - Before You Buy

Top 25 BEST PS5 Games of 2025

Top 25 BEST PS5 Games of 2025

10 WEIRD GAMING Stories of November 2025

10 WEIRD GAMING Stories of November 2025

DESTINY 3 LEAKED, CONSOLE PRICES GOING UP AGAIN? & MORE

DESTINY 3 LEAKED, CONSOLE PRICES GOING UP AGAIN? & MORE

Category: Updates

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Grand Theft Auto 6 Is Officially Nominated As Most Anticipated Game In TGAs 2025
  • This Bundle Highlights Why Red Dead Redemption 2 Needs Upgrades On Consoles Too
  • Gearbox Dev Promises The Next Few Weeks Of Borderlands 4 “Will Be A Treat”
  • Have We Seen More Of Jason Duval In Grand Theft Auto 6 Than We Think?
  • GTA 6 Fans Discuss The Places In-Game They Want To Explore The Most

Copyright © 2025 · Gameranx · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme