Server crash leads to questions over publisher's switch to always online verification
EA has made several apologies immediately following the release of its refreshed SimCity game, which was unable to cope with the steep demand and has left players without the ability to play at all.
The restored city-building strategy game requires that users log into EA’s servers before they can play. It was released in North American on Tuesday, and is due to arrive in Europe this Friday.
EA’s handling of the launch has been called into question, as US customers complain about not being able to log in and play after ongoing attempts.
This form of online direct rights management, or DRM, has caused frustration before. Last year, the huge demand for Blizzard’s Diablo III knocked its servers offline, andconnection problems in South Korea forced the publisher to refund customers.
EA released a statement to its North American owners, which said: “The SimCity servers are currently inundated with the masses of eager mayors attempting to govern their cities.