Did Ubisoft just deactivate all german copies of SH5?

Kapitanleutnant · 03-19-10, 12:27 PM

I just read this on another forum:

Quote:

Ubisoft disabled all german Collector's Edition copies of Silent Hunter 5. They forgot to remove a Swastika in the CE manual and demand that the customer sends the manual to Ubisoft. Until then, their game will be disabled. Great way to care about the customer.

Can any German forum members confirm or deny this?

edit: semi-confirmation from this website, but that just confirms a recall. Still don't know about deactivations.

gimpy117 · 03-19-10, 12:39 PM

they have to. im sure this is the German government...not UBI

its actually illegal to show Nazi symbols in Germany. so the have to recall and remove it.

Kapitanleutnant · 03-19-10, 12:44 PM

They have to recall it, but if they've disabled the game (can't confirm that) that would only be possible because of That Which Must Not Be Named. In any previous time the recall would be ultimately down to the customer to decide whether or not to give up access to their game.
Course, we still don't know if Ubi have actually disabled it.

Decoman · 03-19-10, 12:51 PM

If this is true, I suppose this is another awkward bieffect of the DRM initiative.

Adam84 · 03-19-10, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gimpy117

they have to. im sure this is the German government...not UBI

its actually illegal to show Nazi symbols in Germany. so the have to recall and remove it.

Ubisoft have been making WW2 games for years, how on earth did they make this mistake?

SteamWake · 03-19-10, 12:50 PM

So now they cant play the game untill they return a manual?

Un freakin believable I wonder how many are right now looking into hacks?

Damn Ubi your product launch is full of fail !

Nisgeis · 03-19-10, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam84

Ubisoft have been making WW2 games for years, how on earth did they make this mistake?

Blizzard managed to do the same thing:

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/2...zi_Symbols.php

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteamWake

So now they cant play the game untill they return a manual?

Un freakin believable I wonder how many are right now looking into hacks?

Damn Ubi your product launch is full of fail !

The news is all over the web, but it's all repeats of one source, which says that the Collector's Edition only is affected. This has caused some to speculate that it's the manual that is the offending article, but it's possible that the offending article is in fact in the game (part of extended skins or just a localisation process that was missed), in which case disabling the game is their best option. There's jail time involved with such a crime. Does the standard German version come with a manual?

The Enigma · 03-19-10, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nisgeis

Blizzard managed to do the same thing:

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/2...zi_Symbols.php

The news is all over the web, but it's all repeats of one source, which says that the Collector's Edition only is affected. This has caused some to speculate that it's the manual that is the offending article, but it's possible that the offending article is in fact in the game (part of extended skins or just a localisation process that was missed), in which case disabling the game is their best option. There's jail time involved with such a crime. Does the standard German version come with a manual?

This shows again, how bad the DRM for customers is.
Now other parties can control UBI for whatever reason to stop you from playing a game.

Are you, who don't care about this form of DRM, still in denying about the tremendous impact it has on the ppl who want's to play a game they have bought?

UBI has created a monstrous instrument they don't even can control and other parties will/may use that instrument too.

bart · 03-19-10, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nisgeis

The news is all over the web, but it's all repeats of one source, which says that the Collector's Edition only is affected. This has caused some to speculate that it's the manual that is the offending article, but it's possible that the offending article is in fact in the game (part of extended skins or just a localisation process that was missed), in which case disabling the game is their best option.

I've got the collectors edition here in the UK.

The symbol in question is on page 27 of the Official guide and it's real small, but it's there. I haven't seen anything yet in the vanilla game. Only reason I can think of why they would disable the game is to get folks to return it as they want them ALL back, otherwise some people may decide they want to keep it anyway. If it's disabled maybe folks are more likely to return it and get a new copy which will work.

Just a thought......

longam · 03-19-10, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam84

Ubisoft have been making WW2 games for years, how on earth did they make this mistake?

It was that 10th developer they hired to do graphics. He has never been to Subsim.com so he know nothing of the world.

Prientje · 03-19-10, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kapitanleutnant

I just read this on another forum:
Can any German forum members confirm or deny this?

edit: semi-confirmation from this website, but that just confirms a recall. Still don't know about deactivations.

Its not true and nonsens !

I have the Collector's Edition

and im in Germany

Nisgeis · 03-19-10, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prientje

Its not true and nonsens !

I have the Collector's Edition

Are you in Germany with the German Collector's Edition?

Gilbou · 03-19-10, 07:10 PM

So how do they do in Germany with pictures from WW2 ?

Pretend it did not happen ? That flags were just red with a white
circle ?

This is close to the red line of rewriting history...

Denying history and truth is not a step in the direction of
intellectual and moral rightness.

What matters is stuff to be historically correct. I really feel
uneasy when some people (a minority) comes and tells you
what you can say/write/show about something, a part of
history. There's something wrong there. You wonder what
will be under control next.

CaptainHaplo · 03-19-10, 07:26 PM

Actual historical archives I believe are exempt from the law. It has to do with selling items that may include the symbology - aka - making money now off of something with a connection to the symbol.

Skybird or another of our german friends could probably clarify for us.

Skybird · 03-19-10, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainHaplo

Actual historical archives I believe are exempt from the law. It has to do with selling items that may include the symbology - aka - making money now off of something with a connection to the symbol.

Skybird or another of our german friends could probably clarify for us.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strafgesetzbuch_%C2%A7_86a

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbotsgesetz_1947

03-19-10, 12:39 PM	#2
gimpy117 Ocean Warrior Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Kalamazoo, MI Posts: 3,243 Downloads: 108 Uploads: 0	they have to. im sure this is the German government...not UBI its actually illegal to show Nazi symbols in Germany. so the have to recall and remove it. __________________ Member of the Subsim Zombie Army

03-19-10, 12:44 PM	#3
Kapitanleutnant Frogman Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 305 Downloads: 22 Uploads: 0	They have to recall it, but if they've disabled the game (can't confirm that) that would only be possible because of That Which Must Not Be Named. In any previous time the recall would be ultimately down to the customer to decide whether or not to give up access to their game. Course, we still don't know if Ubi have actually disabled it. __________________ Oh worse than Hitler! You wouldn't find Hitler playing jungle music at three o'clock in the morning!

03-19-10, 12:50 PM	#6
SteamWake Rear Admiral Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 13,224 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	So now they cant play the game untill they return a manual? Un freakin believable I wonder how many are right now looking into hacks? Damn Ubi your product launch is full of fail ! __________________ Follow the progress of Mr. Mulligan : http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=147648

03-19-10, 07:26 PM	#14
CaptainHaplo Silent Hunter Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 4,404 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 0	Actual historical archives I believe are exempt from the law. It has to do with selling items that may include the symbology - aka - making money now off of something with a connection to the symbol. Skybird or another of our german friends could probably clarify for us. __________________ Good Hunting! Captain Haplo

03-19-10, 12:51 PM	#4
Decoman Frogman Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Oslo, Norway Posts: 306 Downloads: 24 Uploads: 0	If this is true, I suppose this is another awkward bieffect of the DRM initiative.

03-19-10, 07:10 PM	#13
Gilbou Chief Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: France Posts: 313 Downloads: 152 Uploads: 0	So how do they do in Germany with pictures from WW2 ? Pretend it did not happen ? That flags were just red with a white circle ? This is close to the red line of rewriting history... Denying history and truth is not a step in the direction of intellectual and moral rightness. What matters is stuff to be historically correct. I really feel uneasy when some people (a minority) comes and tells you what you can say/write/show about something, a part of history. There's something wrong there. You wonder what will be under control next.