Ars Technica reports that Command and Conquer 4 will require an internet connection at all times as a result of its inclusion of a 'player progression' feature as described in this Gamespot interview. The developers state that this will not turn Command and Conquer 4 into a MMO but will share the always online requirement. Since this results in the very useful side-effect of making pirated copies useless, C&C 4 will not include any DRM.
Will this be the wave of the future, PC games requiring an always on internet connection even in single player mode? Or will single player mode be reduced to a tutorial for the real play in the multiple player game that requires a connection to the gaming server run by the publisher?