I think what they really want is subscription based gaming.
Every major gaming publisher is red with envy for Blizzards model "World of Warcraft". That game is paid with monthly subscription, which means a predictable monthly cash flow which pays for incremental upgrades.
If they can use the new DRM to finally start selling "Software as a Service" it will be their Beancounter's wet dream come true. We'll end up paying a monthly fee for access to X amount of games, with yearly or bi-yearly "expansion pack" type updates.
Of course, this doesn't really make any sense for single player gaming, but since when did that bother anyone if they can make money from it? That's what I personally believe is the core idea behind the new DRM.
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