SimCity 5's Always-On Requirements: What Happened, And Why It Needs To Stop [OPINION]

There are few words in game development as controversial as "always on." If you're not familiar with the term, it refers to "always online DRM," also known as "persistent online authentication." Simply put, it is the requirement that the game always maintain a connection to the company's servers in order to function. These sorts of games will not run without an active Internet connection that allows a constant stream of data to be sent back and forth between the game client and the remote servers.

If you've been following the SimCity fiasco at all, you probably have a vague idea of why always on is such a polarizing issue. When SimCity launched, demand for the game was so high that EA's servers simply could not keep up. Players found themselves locked out of a game they purchased for several days, with connectivity issues still plaguing the game two weeks later. It's obvious that EA was cutting a few corners too many when scaling servers for the game's launch, but that's not even the biggest issue. The server issues will be cleared up in the next days, the always on requirement is here to stay.

EA and Maxis have gone on the record saying that the game's always on requirements are core to the gameplay experience, providing a framework for the title's multiplayer features. However, SimCity has always been known as a singleplayer experience, and the fact that this option was not even offered offended quite a few fans of the series. It got even worse when a modder discovered that the game could easily be altered to allow for a singleplayer mode.

If it's so easy to implement, why is EA making such a big deal over a gameplay "feature" that effectively locked players out of the product they paid for? Some might say it's purely DRM, a way to combat piracy, and that's certainly a facet of the issue. However, given this is EA we're talking about, it's much more likely that the true culprit is microtransactions.

EA has made it no secret that microtransactions are quickly forming a keystone of their business model. With everything from free to play mobile games, to AAA $60 titles like Dead Space 3 featuring them to some extent, the publisher is pushing harder than ever to build an additional revenue stream into each of their products.

What an always on requirement provides is a constant connection to EA's storefront. EA can effectively market, promote, and sell digital products directly inside of their games. Bigger cities? Better roads? More buildings? Don't be surprised to open up SimCity one day and find those options available - for a small fee.

Granted, the massive blowback from the SimCity launch may have stunted or even shuttered some of EA's plans for future microtransaction opportunities in the game. Still, I would be very, very surprised if additional content wasn't being pushed in the next year or so. EA has put a lot of time and money into this product, hoping to turn it into the next Sims. There's no way they're going to give up on their investment now.

To recap, SimCity's always on requirement is unnecessary. This is not speculation, it has been handedly proven. Even after being caught in such a bald-faced lie, EA and Maxis have refused to implement a singleplayer, offline mode, a feature that an amateur modder was able to easily accomplish. Maxis representatives have commented that such a feature conflicts with the vision the studio has for the game.

What is that vision? To generate additional revenue at the expense of gameplay features the fanbase has been begging for. In essence, what we are seeing here is a major studio and publisher lying, cutting features, scaling back gameplay, and placing restrictions on how you can play the game you paid for. There's a saying, you vote with your wallet. Purchasing SimCity, and god forbid, buying into EA's microtransaction programs, is only telling them they're on the right track. If always on DRM and microtransactions are something you want to see more of, by all means, pre-order more EA games. If not, well, the SimCity launch needs to be a lesson to EA, and not something we let them brush under the rug.