The sordid tale of From Dust's is-it-or-isn't-it digital rights management appears to be finally coming to a close. Ubisoft has promised a patch within the next few weeks to make the game completely playable offline, and I've just received word that Steam is offering refunds to unsatisfied owners of the game.
There were reports of Steam offering refunds to aggitated From Dust owners last week, but when I personally submitted a customer support ticket asking about a refund, Steam flatly denied it was a possibility.
In light of recent events, appears Ubisoft has asked Steam to give players the option to get their money back.
"Ubisoft has just announced that they are working on a patch that will eliminate the need for any online authentication for From Dust," reads the updated support ticket sent my way tonight. "The patch will release in approximately two weeks. If you don’t want to wait for the patch or if you haven’t played the game, per Ubisoft’s request, we will issue refunds for this title. If you would still like your purchase of From Dust refunded, please reply to this ticket."
I haven't purchased From Dust on PC, only inquired about the refund through my Steam account, but it appears anyone who has picked up From Dust and would like to reverse that decision has the option.
Customers were upset at Ubisoft for originally announcing From Dust would not have any DRM. When the game arrived on PC, in addition to other port issues, the game required users to login online at the start. Ubisoft has a history of flip-flopping on DRM for its PC ports, which has given the publisher a bad reputation amongst PC gamers.