Years later, gamers are increasingly concerned that their current consoles, and the games they own, will become useless at some point in the future. It’s not just the inevitable transition from the PS5 to what Sony plans to do next. The worry is that those who want to keep using the PS5 for 20 years or more may find it difficult, if not impossible, to play some of their favorite games.
If our consoles and games require us to check in to an online server that no longer exists, we won’t be able to access our purchased games, even if we have physical discs. Thankfully, in the case of the PS5, even if the CMOS battery dies, the console itself should be fine for years to come. However, individual games that include online and offline modes are another story.
Twitter user Does it Play? is such an account that pays close attention to relevant information, specifically collecting information on whether a certain game or a certain console can continue to be played or used without the need for a server. Today (January 18th) they discovered a game that’s giving you a headache: Diablo II: Remastered.
You cannot play Diablo 2 resurrected after 30 days of being offline, one of the first console games to feature check in drm.
It serves no real purpose and can be removed with hacks.
Dark times pic.twitter.com/EVnPVhXisD
— Does it play? (@DoesItPlay1) January 17, 2022
According to information provided by the account, Diablo 2: Reforged will no longer work after 30 days when the console is in offline mode, as it must connect to Blizzard servers to check for DRM encryption. The tweet, Does it Play? pointed out that DRM encryption has no purpose and does not affect gameplay, it can be removed by cracking and the game can still be played.
Gaming media PSU points out that this trend could lead to a very dire future. Players cannot always trust that the companies and servers that operate the game will always exist, and may not even be able to play offline games in the future. Players should not resort to hacks or other external means just to be able to continue playing the games they purchased.
PSU believes that it is the responsibility of publishers and owners of game IP to ensure that the games players love today and the works that shape our current gaming culture do not disappear forever from history due to online check-in requirements that seem to be only for publishers.