Denuvo 4.8 Has Fallen

[Chino]

Denuvo 4.8 originally debuted last year in Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Origins. The French video game publisher even went as far as implementing VMProtect to add an extra layer of protection to the game. Many speculated that Ubisoft's poor decision made the final product so overdemanding on the processor. However, that's a discussion for another day. At the time of its release, Denuvo 4.8 was deemed impossible to break, but let's be realistic here. The impossible just costs a little more. It only took three months for the impossible to happen. Italian warez group CONSPIR4CY (a.k.a CPY) announced in recent days that they've successfully bypassed Denuvo 4.8 used in Sonic Forces.

Besides Ubisoft and Sega, Denuvo has other high-profile customers in the likes of Electronic Arts, Warner Bros, and Lionsgate Entertainment. So, it's only a matter of time before AAA titles like Football Manager 2018, Injustice 2, Need for Speed Payback, Star Wars Battlefront 2, and Star Ocean: The Last Hope HD Remaster suffer the same fate as Sonic Forces. Upcoming Dragon Ball FighterZ and Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age are probably in line as well. Although, it will be interesting to see how long can Assassin's Creed: Origins fare before someone breaks the game's double protection.


View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[natr0n]

They/CPY are releasing AC Origins today apparently.

 

[dj-electric]

"Poll: Do you think video game developers should stop wasting time and money on DRM?"

Stop doing that, please. There's better phrasing to this question, without manipulating the answer towards one of the two.

TPU staff has to chill out and stop putting too much of their personal opinion into matters that has 2+ sides of an argument.

 

[RejZoR]

Stick garbage Denuvo in your game and you can be assured I won't be buying it. DRM always ONLY punishes people who buy the games. DRM is cancer and it just needs to die. Through time, I only had problems with legal copies of games. Where pirated ones worked no problem. Or you even have to go as far and crack a legal copy just so you can play what you frickin' paid for.

As for efficiency of DRM, we present you the news #643876865386438665 about its failure. And yet they just keep on trying. It doesn't work and it's annoying. Stop it.

 

[Parn]

Glad to hear this piece of garbage has fallen so quickly. Having Denuvo is the reason I cancelled my plan to buy FFXII TZA and DB FighterZ.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

Havent they learned that DRM just hurts they legit buyer more than it does the actual pirate?

 

[Tsukiyomi91]

The real victims here are the legit buyers/end users... and the lack of sales always blames piracy when it's the company's own incompetence of implementing a useless anti-tampering software, locks extra content with a paywall, high asking price for a base game, regional availability & whatnot.

 

[lexluthermiester]

"Poll: Do you think video game developers should stop wasting time and money on DRM?" Stop doing that, please. There's better phrasing to this question, without manipulating the answer towards one of the two. TPU staff has to chill out and stop putting too much of their personal opinion into matters that has 2+ sides of an argument.

I disagree entirely. Chino worded that question in a way the sends a message to devs and publishers that frequent the site, and they do come here.

DRM does not work. They will never stop the cracking community. Ever. The sooner devs & publishers stop trying and go the GOG.com route the sooner they will realize that most people who use "pirate" copies of their games are only doing so to get around the hassles and headaches of crap DRM. Stop with the draconian DRM schemes and piracy numbers will drop through the floor. Fewer and fewer gamers are willing to jump through the hoops of those schemes.

 

[dj-electric]

I disagree entirely. Chino worded that question in a way the sends a message to devs and publishers that frequent the site, and they do come here.

That's not how journalism works. This isn't a personal blog.
I didn't question the legitimacy of DRM, as i am also against it in most cases.
Also, in some cases DRM does work, ask Blizzard for example.

 

[Prince Valiant]

That's not how journalism works. This isn't a personal blog.
I didn't question the legitimacy of DRM, as i am also against it in most cases.
Also, in some cases DRM does work, ask Blizzard for example.

What games, that aren't MMOs or that revolve around online, haven't been cracked?

 

[lexluthermiester]

This isn't a personal blog.

No, but a poll doesn't have to be objective. All it has to do is ask a question. If you don't like the wording of the question, don't participate. No one is requiring it.

 

[NRANM]

"Poll: Do you think video game developers should stop wasting time and money on DRM?"

Stop doing that, please. There's better phrasing to this question, without manipulating the answer towards one of the two.

TPU staff has to chill out and stop putting too much of their personal opinion into matters that has 2+ sides of an argument.

That's not how journalism works. This isn't a personal blog.
I didn't question the legitimacy of DRM, as i am also against it in most cases.
Also, in some cases DRM does work, ask Blizzard for example.

While technically I can agree that the word "wasting" could be considered a bit biased, the answer to the question should be obvious to any person with at least two working brain cells to rub together, as the results from the poll indeed confirm.

I also fail to see an argument "for" DRM. The best "DRM" a game can have is to be a quality product at a price that is reasonable for what the game offers, no DRM required. I the product is good, people will buy it.

 

[ArbitraryAffection]

"Poll: Do you think video game developers should stop wasting time and money on DRM?"

Stop doing that, please. There's better phrasing to this question, without manipulating the answer towards one of the two.

TPU staff has to chill out and stop putting too much of their personal opinion into matters that has 2+ sides of an argument.

Stop complaining lol. Some people just like to complain about everything.

I don't know how I feel about DRM. I really HATE software piracy, but I also hate intrusive DRM. I think with major game distribution platforms like Steam offering refunds and/or demos there's really no need to pirate games for 'legitimate' reasons. But then i do kinda understand the software companies wanting to put DRM on their products. :/

 

[NRANM]

The Steam refund policy is a nice feature but it isn't a complete solution. It's good for people who want to demo a game and they generally have the money to purchase at full price: you purchase and play a bit; if you like you leave as is, if you don't like you refund.
However, for people with limited income who cannot afford to pay full price it doesn't work. Even if they like the game during the 2 hour demo period, they still can't leave it in their account because it's too expensive.

While it's true that DRM can maybe increase sales by making the impatient stingy players (who have the money to purchase full price but don't want to spend it) actually buy the game, but that DRM also costs time and money to the developer and publisher, and has the potential to alienate some people. So I very much doubt the net gain is actually positive.

 

[MustSeeMelons]

most people who use "pirate" copies of their games are only doing so to get around the hassles and headaches of crap DRM

No, just no. People pirate games because they simply don't want to or can't afford to buy them. I know people who are against the concept of paying for a game and to whom even 25$ is too much.
It would be interesting to know how much sales do they gain with DRM, but they definitely hurt the legit buyers.

 

[Tsukiyomi91]

one general reason why people pirate is because of regional availability & base game being too expensive for it's worth. Big studios should just listen to their audiences instead of the lobbyists who only cares about profit. Reducing the price of a base game DOES NOT affect sales, instead boosts it by opening up to more potential customers. IMO, putting a $60 price tag on a base Triple A game does not help at all when profit is all u want. If they did lock extra contents with a paywall, at least make it acceptable for it's worth. Coz no sane person would pay extra $40 or more for that "extra" when it doesn't even make a gamer happy.

 

[WaroDaBeast]

The Steam refund policy is a nice feature but it isn't a complete solution. It's good for people who want to demo a game and they generally have the money to purchase at full price: you purchase and play a bit; if you like you leave as is, if you don't like you refund.
However, for people with limited income who cannot afford to pay full price it doesn't work. Even if they like the game during the 2 hour demo period, they still can't leave it in their account because it's too expensive.

While it's true that DRM can maybe increase sales by making the impatient stingy players (who have the money to purchase full price but don't want to spend it) actually buy the game, but that DRM also costs time and money to the developer and publisher, and has the potential to alienate some people. So I very much doubt the net gain is actually positive.

If you don't have money, you can always buy old games.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

"Poll: Do you think video game developers should stop wasting time and money on DRM?"

Stop doing that, please. There's better phrasing to this question, without manipulating the answer towards one of the two.

TPU staff has to chill out and stop putting too much of their personal opinion into matters that has 2+ sides of an argument.

DRM cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars to implement, has been shown to both not prevent piracy but actually encourage it, and is shown to have a negative effect on sales. CDPR showed us that DRM free games will sell just as well, if not better then, DRMed versions will.

So, to summarize: DRM costs a ton of money, hurts sales, doesnt stop piracy and only serves to annoy users. Calling it a 'waste of time' seems like proper grammar.

 

[lexluthermiester]

No, just no.

Ok. Whatever.

It would be interesting to know how much sales do they gain with DRM

Not enough to offset the ones they loose from people who are unwilling to deal with the hassles of DRM.

 

[R-T-B]

No, but a poll doesn't have to be objective. All it has to do is ask a question. If you don't like the wording of the question, don't participate. No one is requiring it.

If you want to be considered a "good journalist" it absolutely has to be, unless it's an editorial.

 

[lexluthermiester]

If you want to be considered a "good journalist" it absolutely has to be, unless it's an editorial.

That's a good point and the article itself was objective. However, the original wording of the poll did express a valid perspective. It implied that Denuvo had done all that work and it was quickly and completely subverted. From the perspective of the publishers buying the DRM scheme in question it could easily seem like a complete waste of time and money, which it was and will continue to be.

At this time however, it's mute point as the wording of the poll has been changed to " Do you think video game developers should stop investing time and money on DRM? "
While I do think the original question was fine the way it was, the modified wording is good too.

 

[dj-electric]

Wow, the point i was making just flew over everybody's head.

People thought i was thinking DRM is a right solution, and started telling me about how wrong i was.

I wasn't complaining about the use of DRM in modern gaming industry, only the wording in the poll
Anyone else wanna tell me how wasteful DRMs are, and how every single player game is crackable? cmon, there's an open mic today

 

[Litzner]

My biggest problem with DRM has always been this. When the product is easier to use and\or works better when you steal it instead of purchase it you encourage piracy. In my longer career in IT I have worked around so many DRM implementations, even when I had a legitimate license, solely because it was easier to steal their product then it was to use it legitimately.

 

[lexluthermiester]

My biggest problem with DRM has always been this. When the product is easier to use and\or works better when you steal it instead of purchase it you encourage piracy. In my longer career in IT I have worked around so many DRM implementations, even when I had a legitimate license, solely because it was easier to steal their product then it was to use it legitimately.

I agree. By using such despicible and draconian schemes, they are literally providing the motivation to crack their software and get around it. Technically, if you pay for it, but then use it in a way the publisher doesn't approve of or use a cracked copy, you're not stealing so much as just give them the finger.

 

[HimymCZe]

... so basically CURRENT and FUTURE AAA games market wonder why piracy is so popular when they charge $120-$180 for half-baked product, that could run on 2002 Pentium 4, but do not, cause it need another 6 more cores just to run DRM.... FML