Square Enix To Address Final Fantasy 7 DRM Issues

No one likes DRM...PC gamers especially. It's become this hassle that pirates laugh at and legit consumers face with groans and dolor. Final Fantasy VII, the recent re-release of the popular 1997 JRPG from Square, is riddled with DRM that caused quite a ruckus within the PC gaming community. The issue became apparent enough that when contacting Square about it, it appears it's something they plan to further address.

For those of you who don't know, Final Fantasy VII was re-released digitally for PC. Square Enix laced it with DRM that requires a constant internet connection and an online activation key that didn't fly over too well with a lot of gamers. What's more is that the game was plagued with activation bugs that cued a very prompt apology from Square Enix and a promise for an equally prompt fix to the problem.

Gamers weren't entirely satisfied with this, though, and feel that perhaps there needs to be a bit more clarity on why it was necessary to add so many layers of copyright protection for such an old game (and it's not like the excuse of production costs or widespread marketing budgets could be used as an excuse this time around.)

We reached out to Square Enix regarding the community concerns and according to Ryan Arbogast, a representative for Square Enix, the issues have been taken directly to the Square headquarters to be addressed. Unfortunately there's no ETA on when these issues will be addressed but at least the company was willing to come forward enough to acknowledge that the DRM is something they're looking into.

It makes sense for them to at least look into the matter considering that after paying for a re-release of a product that's 15 years old -- and it doesn't work right -- seems like a bit of a slap in the face to loyal consumers. This is not to mention that when you realize that the only people who are willingly going to pay for a re-release of a game that was already re-released are only going to be loyal fanboys and fangirls. So technically, Square is just screwing over their loyalist.

It's doubtful that the DRM will be removed but the company even acknowledging the issues is at least better than Capcom, Blizzard or EA, who decided to fight with consumers for a couple of months before conceding to the maxim “The customer is always right.” We'll keep you posted on whether Square actually follows through and addresses the issue or if they hide behind “Newest Golden Amazing Game Announcement #431” to derail the heat.