Online activation for a single player offline game is actually one of the worst developments yet created by DRM companies. Not only do we have no idea WHAT information is being sent (And getting a straight answer to that is pretty much impossible) but we don't know how long the servers will be up.
I like playing old games and quite a lot of my favourites were made by companies that no longer exist. If I needed online activation for those every time I re-installed them, all those wonderful old CDs would be only useful as drinks coasters.
Online activation on single player games is a red line, to me - cross it and I don't buy the game. I don't care what it is or how long I've been waiting to get it, that kind of DRM is NOT acceptable! It never will be.