They don't even need to keep paying for those activation services if they don't want to. Not when other nice people have already created a version of the game that does not rely on those services which Ubisoft could simply distribute https://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/ubisoft-uses-reloaded-c...
Some devs eventually patch games to (intentionally) remove DRM, like removing Denuvo ~6 months after release because they intended to just curb release day piracy.
But now I wonder if devs would breach copyright/contract by distributing a cracked version, i.e. one that still "has" the DRM but also contains a logical workaround or something, essentially disclosing how to bypass it. (Even if the crack was already available on pirate sites)
