Electronic Arts announced that The Sims 3 will not feature any sort of DRM (Digital Rights Management) or online authentication.
EA has been heavily criticized for using overzealous DRM schemes in its high profile games such as Spore. The giant publisher cited fans' requests as the reason behind forgoing DRM.
"The game will have disc-based copy protection - there is a Serial Code just like The Sims 2. To play the game there will not be any online authentication needed," Rod Humble wrote.
"We feel like this is a good, time-proven solution that makes it easy for you to play the game without DRM methods that feel overly invasive or leave you concerned about authorization server access in the distant future."
The Sims 3 is scheduled for release for PC and Mac on June 2, 2009.