Activision is no longer a part of the PC Gaming Alliance, a band of like-minded companies collectively helping to promote the PC as a viable gaming platform. True, it is quite the blow to have one of the largest multi-format publishers departing, but a new party has emerged in their absence. It’s none other than Sony DADC, the division behind the much-maligned anti-piracy toolset SecuROM.

If we look at this in a positive light, perhaps it means changes are coming to SecuROM, namely that it will still fulfill its role as a copy protection scheme but will be less aggressive in doing so. Read: not pissing off us folks who actually buy our games. On the other side, SecuROM may not be changing for the better and this move could very well incite a greater number of publishers into utilizing it against zero day piracy.

Thank goodness there are alternatives, like Steam.

Follow this author on Twitter.