Sega Claims Lack of Manic PC DRM Listing “Error”

A few hours after news broke of Sonic Mania on Steam containing controversial DRM code that, among other things, prohibits offline play, an unnamed representative from Sega published an update acknowledging the DRM should have been listed before launch.

The statement below, in full, has been met with a chorus of negative responses, despite conceding the Denuvo technology should never have required an active Internet connection for play:

Like you, we’ve noticed an error in the Steam store not mentioning the DRM for Sonic Mania.

We’re fixing that now.

Sonic Mania is intended to be played offline and we’re investigating reports on that.

We’re also investigating other issues like controller support, these are all PC specific things that Christian and the team have been working on these last few weeks

Please bare [sic] with us while we collate and investigate problems that are being brought to our attention

In the hours that have followed, a wave of negative reviews have been posted on Steam largely based on Denuvo’s inclusion alone; now about a quarter of Mania’s reviews on Steam do not recommend its purchase. But just in the past couple minutes, members of the Steam community have apparently found a way to at least circumvent the offline play shutout via a hex editor. We are working to verify the authenticity of the information.

We will continue to bring you updated developments on this sudden turn of events in Mania‘s launch when warranted.