Capcom rolls back PC SSFIV Arcade Edition DRM

Last week, Capcom picked a fight with a portion of its fan base when it announced a PC digital rights management scheme for Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition that would trim the game's roster from 39 characters to just 15 unless players were constantly logged into the game's servers.

Today, the publisher acknowledged the complaints and said it would strip that measure from the game with a launch window patch. Shortly after the PC edition of the game goes on sale in July (but possibly on day one), Capcom will release a title update removing the character limitation aspect of the DRM.

In a post on the official Capcom blog, senior vice president Christian Svensson explained the reasoning behind the move, saying, "The argument that legitimate users would have a worse experience than pirates was the loudest and most convincing. We certainly don't want that to be the case and that was never our intention."

The Arcade Edition of Super Street Fighter IV is headlined by the addition of four new characters to the game's roster. Along with Street Fighter III veterans Yun and Yang, the game sees a demonic pair joining the roster in the form of Evil Ryu and an even more evil version of Akuma called Oni. Returning fighters include Ryu, Chun-li, Juri, El Fuerte, and Rufus. All characters will be unlocked at the game's start.

Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition will also sport several technical tweaks. Capcom said the game will sport all-new character balancing, "further refining gameplay." It will also feature an updated replay channel that will let players follow up to five individual player replays, making it easier to track down individual players. The My Channel Advanced option will let players send out their replay data to 50 friends. Finally, the Arcade Edition will sport an Elite Channel, which will let players watch replays from players who boast a rating of 3,000 PP or more.

The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition are set for release June 24 in Europe and June 28 in North America.