6 ms·

If the DRM code was cleanly separated from the normal flow of the game code, it would be trivial for crackers to patch it out.

briga 5y ago
Evidently it's still trivial for crackers to patch it out
- 22c 5y ago
  I wouldn't say it's trivial. EMPRESS is one of the most talented crackers on the scene at the moment and it took ~2 months for this release. Arguably, without EMPRESS, the crack would have taken a lot longer.
  - skhr0680 5y ago
    I think publishers should be happy with that. Every day a crack doesn’t come out is one more teenager who is hyped about latest game who will buy it.
    - paxys 5y ago
      Yeah, a lot of publishers voluntarily remove DRM from their games after a few months because most of the profit is made right at launch. Once the first round of discounts start to hit DRM serves no purpose anymore.
      - haswell 5y ago
        I have never heard of this. Do you have any examples?
        paxys 5y ago
        Search for "Denuvo removed" on Google. Lots of recent examples. Doom Eternal & Metro Exodus – https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-05-29-denuvo-security-software-removed-from-doom-eternal-and-metro-exodus https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-05-29-denuvo-sec... Monster Hunter World – https://www.vg247.com/2021/06/03/monster-hunter-world-denuvo-removed-pc/ https://www.vg247.com/2021/06/03/monster-hunter-world-denuvo... Mass Effect Legendary Edition – https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/mass-effect-legendary-edition-removes-denuvo-2964344 https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/mass-effect-legendary-e... Nier Automata – https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/nier-automata-update-removes-denuvo-anti-tamper-software-2974400 https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/nier-automata-update-re...
        teamspirit 5y ago
        Capcom themselves did it with the rerelease of RE2 and RE3
      - wernerb 5y ago
        It's even better! You sign a contract with denuvo for how many days protection. The less days the less you pay. When the contract is up they remove it
      - Rapzid 5y ago
        Steam wish list. Pick it up for $15 and get a better experience with the DRM removed. Thanks Capcom!
    - thaumasiotes 5y ago
      > Every day a crack doesn’t come out is one more teenager who is hyped about latest game who will buy it. Taken literally, that's all of ~60 additional copies sold!
- Operyl 5y ago
  Publishers put this DRM in place only as a short-term measure, removing it within a year in almost all cases after the majority of their sales are well gone. They do this in the hope to convincing people who might pirate the game to ultimately purchase it, which I'm assuming must work to some extent or they wouldn't pay the rather high costs of Denuvo, etc. (and I'm willing to bet their sales data probably supported this theory).
  - skhr0680 5y ago
    1. People who want to play the game online or are hyped and preorder it 2. People who want to play the game immediately and can’t wait, but will download it for free if they can 3. People who want to play it but are happy to wait for a sale 4. People who will never buy the game, but will play a cracked version Group 2 is pretty huge, and includes age groups who care a lot about cosmetic items online (teenagers-20s)
    - josephcsible 5y ago
      I'm under the impression that the group of people who if they can pirate something, will do so and never buy it, but if they can't, will just buy it, is quite small indeed.
      - MrStonedOne 5y ago
        Every time it comes out that a pirate version fixes things broken in the mainline version, esp if drm is what broke it, I slide more firmly into always pirate category. meaningful online service is the only thing that drives me to buy AAA games now and days, and most don't even have that.
        josephcsible 5y ago
        Do people in the "always pirate category" buy games that they can't pirate, though? Or do they just skip those games and play different ones instead?
daenz 5y ago
Interesting, does this mean DRM functions are forced inline when compiled?
- nonpolitical 5y ago
  Not just that. I'm not an expert, but from what I read, some DRMs will encrypt assets and critical game logic and let them be decrypted in real time on a virtual machine so that they aren't directly extractable from memory.
  - unnouinceput 5y ago
    Once is in memory, encrypted or not, it can be extracted, inspected and replaced (which is what a launcher crack style does).
    - brobinson 5y ago
      Yes, but figuring this out can still take a long time. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory survived for over 400 days before being cracked.

briga 5y ago

Evidently it's still trivial for crackers to patch it out

22c 5y ago
I wouldn't say it's trivial. EMPRESS is one of the most talented crackers on the scene at the moment and it took ~2 months for this release. Arguably, without EMPRESS, the crack would have taken a lot longer.
- skhr0680 5y ago
  I think publishers should be happy with that. Every day a crack doesn’t come out is one more teenager who is hyped about latest game who will buy it.
  - paxys 5y ago
    Yeah, a lot of publishers voluntarily remove DRM from their games after a few months because most of the profit is made right at launch. Once the first round of discounts start to hit DRM serves no purpose anymore.
    - haswell 5y ago
      I have never heard of this. Do you have any examples?
      - paxys 5y ago
        Search for "Denuvo removed" on Google. Lots of recent examples. Doom Eternal & Metro Exodus – https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-05-29-denuvo-security-software-removed-from-doom-eternal-and-metro-exodus https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-05-29-denuvo-sec... Monster Hunter World – https://www.vg247.com/2021/06/03/monster-hunter-world-denuvo-removed-pc/ https://www.vg247.com/2021/06/03/monster-hunter-world-denuvo... Mass Effect Legendary Edition – https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/mass-effect-legendary-edition-removes-denuvo-2964344 https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/mass-effect-legendary-e... Nier Automata – https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/nier-automata-update-removes-denuvo-anti-tamper-software-2974400 https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/nier-automata-update-re...
      - teamspirit 5y ago
        Capcom themselves did it with the rerelease of RE2 and RE3
    - wernerb 5y ago
      It's even better! You sign a contract with denuvo for how many days protection. The less days the less you pay. When the contract is up they remove it
    - Rapzid 5y ago
      Steam wish list. Pick it up for $15 and get a better experience with the DRM removed. Thanks Capcom!
  - thaumasiotes 5y ago
    > Every day a crack doesn’t come out is one more teenager who is hyped about latest game who will buy it. Taken literally, that's all of ~60 additional copies sold!
Operyl 5y ago
Publishers put this DRM in place only as a short-term measure, removing it within a year in almost all cases after the majority of their sales are well gone. They do this in the hope to convincing people who might pirate the game to ultimately purchase it, which I'm assuming must work to some extent or they wouldn't pay the rather high costs of Denuvo, etc. (and I'm willing to bet their sales data probably supported this theory).
- skhr0680 5y ago
  1. People who want to play the game online or are hyped and preorder it 2. People who want to play the game immediately and can’t wait, but will download it for free if they can 3. People who want to play it but are happy to wait for a sale 4. People who will never buy the game, but will play a cracked version Group 2 is pretty huge, and includes age groups who care a lot about cosmetic items online (teenagers-20s)
  - josephcsible 5y ago
    I'm under the impression that the group of people who if they can pirate something, will do so and never buy it, but if they can't, will just buy it, is quite small indeed.
    - MrStonedOne 5y ago
      Every time it comes out that a pirate version fixes things broken in the mainline version, esp if drm is what broke it, I slide more firmly into always pirate category. meaningful online service is the only thing that drives me to buy AAA games now and days, and most don't even have that.
      - josephcsible 5y ago
        Do people in the "always pirate category" buy games that they can't pirate, though? Or do they just skip those games and play different ones instead?

daenz 5y ago

Interesting, does this mean DRM functions are forced inline when compiled?

nonpolitical 5y ago
Not just that. I'm not an expert, but from what I read, some DRMs will encrypt assets and critical game logic and let them be decrypted in real time on a virtual machine so that they aren't directly extractable from memory.
- unnouinceput 5y ago
  Once is in memory, encrypted or not, it can be extracted, inspected and replaced (which is what a launcher crack style does).
  - brobinson 5y ago
    Yes, but figuring this out can still take a long time. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory survived for over 400 days before being cracked.