I'm not that cynical, actually. I don't think it takes much to remove server activation at all.
I tend to go to an extreme with cynicism.
I'm pretty sure internally, Bioware and Maxis' .exes don't contain DRM. I don't think it will require any effort. And other gaming devs have removed drm later on after games were released; I don't think it's that hard.
I agree that they must have the unprotected game. I can't see how they couldn't. Removing takes time [even if only a little] and that can't be done when a job/company no longer exists in terms of removing DRM if needed.
Well, Black Isles went under. You can still find patches for their games. It wouldn't take much. IGN and all those other gaming sites will host them on their servers. People upload to Rapidshare.
Yes, it could be hosted on sites like
GamersHell,
IGN, etc, but that would require someone from the company that has gone under actually sending them the patch to host. When companies go under they, in many cases, aren't thinking at all about the consumers and are instead thinking about their wallets and themselves.
That's true, but I think a lot of sites will host game patch files.
Of course, but, as I said, they have to be given the file.
I can certainly understand that perspective, but I'm honestly not that cynical. I certainly don't think Bioware would behave in that manner even if E.A. did go under. I don't know about Maxis.
I don't necessarily distrust
BioWare although I do have some issues with them concerning their responses to customers. In the end they are at the mercy of
E.A.. I also question what the agreements, contracts, etc, are between
BioWare and
E.A. were
E.A. to go belly up. Would
BioWare be allowed to release the unprotected/patched/fixed game or would they be bound in a manner in which they couldn't.
I'm not saying they couldn't but it's just a
"what if" situation. Having
E.A. go under is far different than
BioWare going under and
E.A. releasing the patch. I don't see
E.A. releasing a patch if
BioWare went under, though.
Anyway, I'm just voicing my cynicism and playing devil's advocate here. I tend to do a lot of
"what if" thinking.