Donno why people say it is not DRM. It is as inconvenient as other activate on internet DRM games.

I would argue that it isn't DRM, because you can download the activation file from any computer (or probably even a smartphone), and store it indefinitely for future use. You could even get the file from a friend or magazine (in theory), so there would be no internet required at all.

That's still kinda sucky, but not really DRM, in my opinion - but then again, I'm on of those people who adhere to a rather strict definition of DRM.

This is part of the ongoing battle between digital and retail (physical).

It's obvious than when your DRM-free hits gold-status and you send it to the physical-DVD-press, it's 100% no-brainer-bound to be available on the interwebs way earlier than the planned release date (1month-2weeks earlier).

If the delivery method were to be 100% digital (thus no retail) then all we'd have would be the preloading process with the small file that unlocks them all, released on the planned release date. No problem.

But we have (unfortunately imo) also physical which requires the game to be available before the planned release date (for physical-DVD-printing and shipping), hence highly susceptible to "pirating" from resellers. And when I say "pirating" I mean releasing the game before the planned release date.

So i can understand cdpr/gog going with the small file that "unlocks them all" for physical too, basically preloading the game for physical versions of the game too.

All I can hope is that their servers will hold on the planned release date and that they'll have the common sense to make this small file available thru all them channels ... so no legit customer would have problems playing the game on day zero.

Regarding if this is DRM or not debacle:
its hard to say, we'll have to redefine the notion of DRM but imo this is not DRM. This is just making sure that the planned release date is the actual release date.

Day of the Tentacle? Where??? :)

Typing "DRM definition" into google, this is the first hit I got

"Digital rights management (DRM) is a systematic approach to copyright protection for digital media. The purpose of DRM is to prevent unauthorized redistribution of digital media and restrict the ways consumers can copy content they've purchased. DRM products were developed in response to the rapid increase in online piracy of commercially marketed material, which proliferated through the widespread use of peer-to-peer file exchange programs. Typically DRM is implemented by embedding code that prevents copying, specifies a time period in which the content can be accessed or limits the number of devices the media can be installed on."

This looks like DRM to me.

But there are many other definitions of DRM as well. Just because that one's the first to show up on Google, doesn't make it universal truth.

If you only pay attention to the phrases you bolded, it might, but if you actually take the whole definition, this unlock file does nothing to restrict copying (after the legit release date), limit device installations or limit the time period you can use it (it just sets a start time, but no end). It does prevent unauthorized redistribution, but that is simple copy protection/anti-piracy, not DRM.

I was trying to emphasize the bolded parts, not disregard the rest.

Someone brought up that that was only a single definition, here's a couple more

"Digital Restrictions Management is the practice of imposing technological restrictions that control what users can do with digital media. When a program is designed to prevent you from copying or sharing a song, reading an ebook on another device, or playing a single-player game without an Internet connection, you are being restricted by DRM. In other words, DRM creates a damaged good; it prevents you from doing what would be possible without it. This concentrates control over production and distribution of media, giving DRM peddlers the power to carry out massive digital book burnings and conduct large scale surveillance over people's media viewing habits."

This one seems more fuzzy, although I'd say this would qualify as "enabling secure distribution".

"Short for digital rights management, a system for protecting the copyrights of data circulated via the Internet or other digital media by enabling secure distribution and/or disabling illegal distribution of the data. Typically, a DRM system protects intellectual property by either encrypting the data so that it can only be accessed by authorized users or marking the content with a digital watermark or similar method so that the content can not be freely distributed."

Anyways, my point about this being DRM is that the disc itself requires online connectivity. So although you can gain access to a digitally DRM free form, the physical media itself is hampered.

Hampering retail copies like this is just a lame thing to do, even if it's technically not a big deal.

Pirates are going to pirate, what does it matter if it's early or on release day.

No, it doesn't.

The second sentence of the first post says it does.

It's also the title of the thread.

Yeah, but the FAQ states that you can manually download and store the needed file. Source: http://forums.cdprojektred.com/threads/35369-The-Witcher-3-Wild-Hunt-Retail-PC-Version-FAQ

Just buy the second print and you will be fine. I'm more bothered by this: F' you CD Projekt, making my retail copy as worthless as a pirated one. You might as well have just put a GOG code in the box and saved yourself the material cost for the DVD.

Two things in that quote I want to address:
1. I specifically said the digital version was DRM-free, which is what that talks about. You can use the retail version to get a download of it, but the disc itself needs an update aquired online to install and play.

2. It looks like this download is only needed for launch copies, which is great. Hopefully they'll put a notice on the box saying as much for future retail versions.

hmmm as long as the post release box version dont need internet i m perfectly fine :)