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Denuvo Admits PC Game DRM 'Will Be Cracked'

Denuvo Admits PC Game DRM 'Will Be Cracked'

By Rishi Alwani | Updated: 29 August 2018 20:07 IST

Highlights

Denuvo thinks there's no uncrackable product
It believes its tech allows for initial sales of PC games
Ir doesn't have a clear answer on its impact on piracy's decline

Invasive PC game anti-tamper technology maker Denuvo has admitted that its DRM (digital rights management) solutions aren't perfect, going as far to suggest that every PC game DRM will eventually be circumvented. So rather than trying to create an unbreakable DRM solution, it's more than happy to protect the initial sales of a PC game.

"Games will be cracked at certain points; there is no uncrackable product. But what we do is protect the initial sales," said Denuvo's Sales Director Elmar Fischer.

"Our goal, and it's still the goal, is to protect initial sales," he said. "Of course we would like to have it uncracked forever, but that just doesn't happen in the games industry."

Furthermore, Denuvo doesn't have a clear answer whether its anti-piracy tech actually results in a decline in piracy.

"It's a really tough one for us to answer straight," said Fischer. "For the games we protect, I think we have a huge impact, especially if we secure the initial sales window then we see a dramatic on the game and also the revenue when you compare it to other games that have been cracked immediately, but for the industry as a whole, it's very tough to answer."

Where Denuvo's anti-piracy tech has failed, it has resorted to using the long arm of the law to keep its tech unharmed. In the past, it worked with the Bulgarian authorities to arrest renowned hacker, Voksi.

"It finally happened," Voksi posted on Reddit. "I can’t say it wasn’t expected. Denuvo filed a case against me to the Bulgarian authorities. Police came yesterday and took the server PC and my personal PC. I had to go to the police afterwards and explain myself. Later that day I contacted Denuvo themselves and offered them a peacful resolution to this problem. They can't say anything for sure yet, but they said the final word is by the prosecutor of my case."

That said, Voksi won't be able to continue his work.

"Sadly, I won't be able to do what I did anymore. I did what I did for you guys and of course because bloated software in our games shouldn't be allowed at all. Maybe someone else can continue my fight," his post continues.

That fact that Denuvo had to go to such lengths to safeguard itself is amusing. Evidently its tech isn't as good as advertised and has in the past, been called out by consumers for being invasive.

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