Rockstar talks about Grand Theft Auto IV PC DRM

Posted Nov 28th 2008 12:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Downloads, Action, Sandbox

DRM is the three letter acronym that makes a certain segment of the PC gamer audience scream in anger and it looks like Rockstar Games' upcoming PC port of their open world action game Grand Theft Auto IV will also contain a DRM set-up. IGN chatted with an unnamed Rockstar rep about the reasoning behind it.

Rockstar will use SecuROM as the software for their DRM set-up, saying, "Having copy protection allows us to protect the integrity or our titles and future investments, but at the same time we have worked very hard to ensure that our solutions do not persecute the legitimate players of our games." Players will have to have access to an Internet-connected PC to activate their copy of GTA IV (although if you want to just play the game's extensive single player mode you are allowed to activate the game using someone else's Internet connected PC).

You can uninstall and reinstall your copy of the game as many times as you like. However, the retail version requires a disk to be in the PC in order to play. You still much have the game disk in one of them if you want to play the game. People who decided to get a digital download version will have to deal with separate DRM issues depending on which service they use. For Steam users they will not have install limits since they always require a Steam login.

Gallery: Grand Theft Auto IV

Tags: breaking, drm, grand-theft-auto-iv, grand-theft-auto-iv-pc, grand-theft-auto-iv-pc-drm, rockstar, rockstar-games, securom, steam

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Well, it's one of the better/less restrictive SecuROM setups being used, but the central issue about SecuROM is it's install practices, not how many times you can install the game.

GTAIV will be pirated before or very soon after official release. Spore effect in action.Posted at 12:10PM on Nov 28th 2008 by Stefan

I find any DRM which requires an internet connection to install unacceptable. I don't always have access to the internet. CD in tray is inconvenient, but acceptable.Posted at 1:16PM on Nov 28th 2008 by Spallit

"Having copy protection allows us to protect the integrity or our titles and future investments..."

No. No it will not. That is the problem.Posted at 7:29PM on Nov 28th 2008 by Sokkratez

It's a joke

I'm paying money for the game, yet I'm bound by restrictions that the warez version won't have. I can't take it away and install on my laptop over the holidays and I have to deal with STEAM? Who FYI if you haven't dealt with are basically retarded. That whole system was developed by Philistines.

Great system. Punish the good guy.

Why not spend some of the hard earned money Rockstar? Hire a bunch of guys to take down the warez versions, post fakes, post cracks that won't allow it to play without inconvenience.

Posted at 12:58PM on Nov 30th 2008 by Stuart

Oh I don't know - I bought it on Steam due to the ease of re-installation (and the free copy of Vice City if you preordered). It's perfectly possible to play offline - I've got it running on my currently networkless laptop beside me. It does complain that you won't be able to post videos or play multiplayer (duh!) but that's all it says.

I *like* steam. I usually have a network connection - and you can transfer the steamapps directory to another steam install and keep all the games you downloaded without using up the bandwidth again.

To me the CD protection of having to have the install disk in the drive is a complete pain and much more likely to make me download a crack for it. I lose or misplace a CD in the many I have (and embarrassingly this happens often) and suddenly I can't play the game legally.Posted at 4:46AM on Dec 17th 2008 by MHaswell

Please. When will these folks learn that DRM doesn't work, all is does is create roadblocks for legitimate users, and doesn't provide any inconvenience at all to those who illicitly copy. Game makers need to do things like offer exclusive content or other fringe benefits to people who register legitimate copies, or include physical stuff in the package that makes people want to buy. These games are usually cracked before the public release; forget the key codes, dongles, and physical media constraints. If the so called "collector'" or "limited" editions were sold at the standard price, there'd be more buyers overall. That's reality, all the crap about protecting IP is dated and disingenuous as it cannot be done anymore.Posted at 3:57PM on Dec 17th 2008 by RedeyeMike

It has DRM. I won't be buying it. It's just that simple.

I refuse to be punished for having a legitimate copy of a program.Posted at 8:54PM on Dec 17th 2008 by bblackmoor

MPosted at 5:44AM on Dec 30th 2008 by MoeYanZ

ik wil op pc grant teft auto
Posted at 4:41AM on Jan 24th 2009 by ibrahim