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I plan to play Mass Effect 3 on PS3. I've heard horror stories of EA's DRM that requires communication with their servers, but I never had to connect to EA to play Dead Space 1 or 2 on PS3.

Will I have to connect to DRM servers in order to play Mass Effect 3? Will I be able to play locally if EA's servers are down?

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  • I think you're confusing Ubisoft and EA. Ubisoft are the ones who forced constant connection to their server even in singleplayer.
    – kotekzot
    Commented Mar 6, 2012 at 17:53
  • @kotekzot that's who it was! I was thinking of the Assassin's Creed DRM not EA's, at least for the constant-connection bit.
    – Zelda
    Commented Mar 6, 2012 at 17:54

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According to BioWare:

2) Is constant Origin connection required or is it a single one off authentication when the game is first installed. Is there also a limit to the number of installations available?

Mass Effect 3 will require a one time, single authorization for the single player game. There is no limit to the number of installs. Playing Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer will require a constant connection.

I believe this was intended for the PC version, but PS3/Xbox 360 DRM tends to be less strict than its PC counterparts, so I'd say it's unlikely that the PS3 will require a constant connection for single player.

When you start the game on consoles, you get the following message:

Welcome to EA Servers.

You must create an Origin Account (EA) or log in to an existing one to join multiplayer games or access online features.

I was given the option to cancel, and even if I did, I could still play the single player campaign. Therefore, I don't believe that there's always-on DRM for consoles for this title.

However, the game seems to authenticate with EA servers every time you load - it appears as though DLC installed alongside the game may be checked at each load. Some users are reporting that they are locked out of their DLC if the game is unable to authenticate with EA servers. Bioware has not released anything official on this matter, and all I have are sporadic reports on forums that seem to be talking mainly about the PC.

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  • I almost posted that, but I figured "one time authorization" was different from "playable offline", given that they do say having Origin installed is required even after the first auth. In the end your conclusion would seem to be correct though :P
    – Matthew Read
    Commented Mar 6, 2012 at 17:52
  • @MatthewRead Yeah, the question specifically asked about a "constant connection" which seemed relevant to what Ben was asking. I'll double check this reference when I get my copy this evening.
    – agent86
    Commented Mar 6, 2012 at 17:54
  • The reason for a constant connection for co-op is that you're playing on EA servers. Loose that connection, and you effectively loose your connection to your peers.
    – MBraedley
    Commented Mar 6, 2012 at 17:57
  • One time authorization before offline play would actually be pretty significant DRM for a console version. I'll test this when I get my copy.
    – Zelda
    Commented Mar 6, 2012 at 17:58
  • @BenBrocka, I'm not certain that it's an authorization. I'll double check as well and update if my post is missing details.
    – agent86
    Commented Mar 6, 2012 at 17:59
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I can confirm what Alec was saying, as far as the PC/Origin Version of ME3, if you have any dlc attached to your account, ANY/EVERY time you launch ME3 it will check to verify your DLC...there is no "one-time verification" it is all the time. If you do not have internet and you have a save that you use the dlc items on, you cannot load this save period.

I know Mr. Hudson said otherwise but unfortunately he mislead us to believe we could play ME3 offline and that the game wouldn't try to verify the dlc every time... but it does.

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According to BioWare's Casey Hudson:

It’s not something that requires you to always be online – you can play Mass Effect 3 offline.

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No, you cannot, if you have DLC. Every time the game loads, it has to authorize the DLC with the Mass Efffect 3 servers. If their servers are down, as there are right now. (Mar 7, 2012 ~10:30pm) then you cannot play.

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