Hi, I've been trying to launch the game all afternoon since 12-ish and I'm also getting the message "An internet connection is required...etc.".
Strange though - the launcher was updated, but I can't log in via the launcher itself!
@Dowly, I agree with you re. the terms and conditions, but Ubisoft should also honour their end of the bargain and ensure the system is available. If it isn't they should be notifying customers about down-time on their website or through a 'live' process when signing in.
It's a real pain in the a**e!!