Digital Rights Management (DRM) has nowadays a widely spread reputation to break things and make things more complicated. Another nail in this coffin was struck when gamers realized that they’re copy of the Gears of War for Windows didn’t start up after January 27th.
The problem was that the game developer Epic had added a digital certificate that expired Jan 28th. When the system date hit this day the game wouldn’t start up anymore. It could be said that Epic and its Games for Windows partner Microsoft unintentionally promoted pirated version of the game which is not affected by the certificate.
The unhappy gamers quickly found out a way around the problem. By setting the Windows date back in time before Jan 28th you’ll have a functioning game again.
Epic is currently trying to find out a way to find a solution to the problem. The company hasn’t yet told if the certificate was added by accident or if the game should have been updated before the date.
Result for: gears of war
In yet another example of how successful video games are becoming, the Epic title Gears of War 2 reportedly sold 2.1 million copies in its first day. VG Chartz gained early access to the sales figures of the game, which sold 1.4 million in its first day in the United States alone.
It’s November 7th release puts another blockbuster on the shelves alongside the Xbox 360 console for the holiday season. Later this month Microsoft will push out a system update for the Xbox 360 that will completely change the user-interface of the console.
As impressive as the sales may be so far, last year’s release of Halo 3 generated 3.8 millions sales in its first day. Providing key content at the right times during the year is vital to the success of Microsoft’s console.
This year’s game line-up for all three consoles is sure to generate an interesting battle between them again this year.
Result for: gears of war
According to a few reports, Microsoft is preparing to release eight new Xbox 360 bundles in Europe, three of which will be available tomorrow.
The available ones include Xbox 360 Elite and Premium consoles bundled with Lego Indiana Jones and KungFu Panda for EUR 299 and EUR 239 respectively as well as an Arcade bundle that will come with Sega Superstars Tennis and sell for EUR 179.
The upcoming bundles are set to hit on November 7th and will be Xbox 360 Premium bundles with either Gears of War 2, James Bond: Quantum of Solace, Tomb Raider: Underworld with 1200 MS Points, or Prince of Persia, and each will cost EUR 269.
The final bundle will package a Premium 360 with Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 for EUR 270 but will only go on sale in Austria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the UK, later this month.
