Witcher 2 patched, goes DRM free

News by Brenna Hillier Contributor

Published on May 26, 2011

CD Projekt has released the delayed v1.1 patch for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, and explained that mystifying mention of "simpler and more reliable game installation and activation".

The reference to simpler activation appeared in the initial patch notes, but was detailed on the Witcher website.

"The most noticeable change is the removal of the DRM protection world-wide. This gives players the freedom to install and play the game on any number of computers, and no activation code is required," the post reads.

"Other notable improvements include frame rate increases of approximately up to 30 [percent], especially noticeable on DRMed versions and low spec systems".

This seems to suggest the DRM system initially utilised in non-GOG and Steam copies of the game was responsible for some of the problems experienced by players.

CD Projekt's Adam Badowski released a statement on the matter saying DRM doesn't meet the company's "philosophy" of rewarding players for purchasing its games.

"Our approach to countering piracy is to incorporate superior value in the legal version," he wrote.

"This means it has to be superior in every respect: less troublesome to use and install, with full support, and with access to additional content and services. So, we felt keeping the DRM would mainly hurt our legitimate users."

Noting that the primary function of the game's DRM - to keep it from leaking pre-release - had been served, Badowski said CD Projekt moved to shed the system once problems were discovered.

"Pre-release tests showed only small performance differences compared to the DRM-free (GOG.com) versions. We were unpleasantly surprised when some of our fans reported much larger differences, up to 30% lower framerates. This was another clear signal that we had to remove DRM as soon as possible – the quality of our users’ gameplay experience is absolutely our number one priority!"

Patch 1.1 must be downloaded and installed manually.

A Witcher-related announcement is expected at E3.

Thanks, 1UP.