Game Cracking Group Predicts The End Of Cracking Because Of Better DRM
from the hmm dept
Spend any reasonable amount of time looking through all the posts we've done here on DRM -- digital rights management -- and one theme becomes abundantly clear: the whole thing is an exercise in futility. Far from a blanket solution to video game piracy, DRM instead can be best explained as an arms race between game publishers and the hacking groups that best them at speeds nothing short of remarkable. All, mind you, while mostly annoying legitimate customers of the games the DRM is meant to protect from the pirates that crack them.
But one hacking group out of China is predicting that this trend will cease and that cracking games is about to become a thing of the past. 3DM is a group out of China that is fairly well-known for cracking games that have DRM. The group has recently been suggesting that one form of DRM, called Denuvo, is already much more difficult to break than other iterations of DRM, and even predicts that within two years nobody will be able to crack games any longer.
Just Cause 3 is the current hot potato and despite having released an endless supply of cracks for other titles (and having had success against Denuvo in the past), the cracks (excuse the pun) are beginning to show at 3DM. In a posting on her blog, 3DM forum founder ‘Bird Sister’ (also known as Phoenix) has revealed the frustrations being experienced with Just Cause 3.A grave prediction for those wishing to pirate games to be sure, but how realistic of a prediction is it? Again, it's a claim that is up against a trend that has only moved in one direction. As they say, extraordinary claims must be accompanied by extraordinary evidence and I'm not seeing it here. One game presenting more of a challenge than others thus far doesn't seem like enough to be convincing. We've seen in the past new forms of DRM touted as the end of piracy, and even work for a short while, only to be bested and beaten to the point of their being useless. Should we believe this time it will be different, all because one hacking group claims it to be so?
“Recently, many people have asked about cracks for ‘Just Cause 3′, so here is a centralized answer to this question. The last stage is too difficult and Jun [cracking guy] nearly gave up, but last Wednesday I encouraged him to continue,” Bird Sister explains. "I still believe that this game can be compromised. But according to current trends in the development of encryption technology, in two years time I’m afraid there will be no free games to play in the world,” she adds.
But, hey, let's say game publishers get their unicorn and Denuvo is the perfect DRM. Let's say it's never beaten, or that it at least changes the game such that piracy is significantly more difficult, cracking takes far longer such that it becomes less attractive, and all the rest. Pretend it happens. Then what?
Well, then the real fun begins, because we're all going to then get a very good look at exactly how important DRM is for the gaming industry and exactly how much piracy hinders the bottom line for game companies. Because if the DRM unicorn exists and the anti-piracy folks are to be believed, well, then all those lost sales will be transformed into paid revenue and the gaming industry had damned well better completely explode in terms of income. Were that not to happen, then DRM would be revealed to be the false god my side of the argument has always claimed it was: fighting a fight not worth fighting. Because the majority of those who would pirate games likely never were potential customers. Because every download isn't a lost sale. And because there are much better methods for a game company to ingratiate itself to gamers, giving them reasons to buy, that DRM doesn't even touch.
Given that the gaming industry is one that has embraced so many new ways of doing business, a DRM unicorn would almost certainly be a step backwards. I actually hope this DRM unicorn exists so we can finally get some impact numbers to work with. I doubt we get the chance, however.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: 3dm, china, cracking, denuvo, drm, just cause 3, video games
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Self defeating
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
there was mod chips to run pirated cames ,but most people would not bother to install them,
and if they were detected the console would be banned from multiplayer .
See games on the ps3 ,when games are 20gig files and are released on
blueray discs pirating such large files is not really practical.
Many people pirate music cos its easy to download small mp3
files and put them on a phone or mp3 player .
Steam for pc games is a form of drm but its easy to use,
and there,s frequent steam sales if you cant afford
to pay full price for games .
Even if the ps 4 console drm was cracked i can,t see
the average user downloading 40gig files and installing a mod chip , just to
get one game free .
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
If you think unbreakable DRM is a unicorn, it's got nothing on reliable impact numbers.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Outside from people being driven to GOG, what else is DRM going to achieve?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I hear about how "X will never get cracked," but, that never proves itself to be true.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
I think the best form of "uncrackable" DRM is to release something unannounced that nobody is interested in. I bet I could get a longer "uncracked" streak than just 424 days ;-)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Now these crappy games will have to stand on their own and compete in a fair manner against games that value their player base.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
time...
And if the scene is still the same as it was 10-20 years ago then the groups will fight to be seen as #1.
Besides 3DM did crack an older version of Denuvo back in 2014.
iirc Denuvo isn't really a DRM but more of a package around the DRM that blocks debugging and stuff like that. Like a reversed sandbox, it stops you from getting in instead of out. So the DRM itself still dies in a day or two but getting there is the problem.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: time...
Sounds to me like Denuvo is DRM by definition. There may be more layers of DRM inside, but what is DRM other than "it stops you from getting in"?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: time...
All it does is protect the DRM from those darn haxors or in this case craxors. It's like you writing in code "delivering 10 mothers and 300 children"(DRM, 'Lord of War' code) and use a friends public key to encrypt it before sending it to that friend.
All it does more or less is encrypt the whole program and decrypt it when necessary, as far as I understand it. Back in 2014 it was a 64bit code that was based on the hardware used (see 3DM crack) which encrypted the whole thing/game. Which might still be the case given that in the reddit discussion they are looking for more hardware specs to submit some kind of info.
Anyway... while it protects the DRM it isn't a DRM itself. It's wrapped around the DRM so people can't figure out how to beat the actual DRM. Maybe you understand it better if you think of it as a firewall? Idk, just a suggestion.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Changing times
It's also important to realize that the key here is in the first 90-120 days. This is where a big percentage of the full price or near full price sales are made, and where the game / software maker recoups a big chunk of their investment. Later hacks are somewhat less important, and may in fact drive sales later in a games cycle as the price comes down to a point where people who have tried the same as pirates might buy it.
The other part of course is that many games are no longer complete as a stand alone. Part of their value is in playing with others, either as network games or in downloading and adding game components to play. Some games run stand alone but are not as complete or not the full game. Even hacking the product isn't going to help you if you are unable to register and play it online, as it was meant to be. This greatly diminishes the social value of hacking a game if you cannot get the pride (and respect) of giving people something for nothing.
My personal feeling is that more and more, gaming companies are going to move to a "razor / razor blade" model of operation, where the game that you buy is basic (complete in it's own way, but not the totality of the gaming experience) and they will continue to offer upgrades, new levels, and other gaming experiences to users who have a full copy and are registered with them. Our almost entirely always on universe makes this more and more of a likely scenario going forward, and one that will make piracy all but moot - they will be essentially selling what is not easily or even possible to be hacked.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Changing times
Oh, you must mean DLC (downloadable content)... yeah, that's worked a few times, and others not so much. The problem with a bunch of the games that used DLC as a major part of their rollout plan was that the initial product was buggy and not complete, so no one wanted to buy the add-on because they knew they were only being exploited.
It'd be like if Gillette sold you a box showing you an amazing razor with quad-blades and 3 extra heads, but when you get home you find out that all you were really sold was an amazing handle with a single blade head that wasn't even sharp, and then you are told to buy the upgrade kit that costs almost as much as the new box you bought but comes with the nice quad-blades you thought you already bought.
Gamers tend to 'nope' their way out of those situations pretty fast.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Changing times
I have chosen to voice my opinion with my wallet and I will gladly not buy games that nickle and dime you for everything so that you can play and compete with others.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Changing times
Bingo. Those who pirate have no intention of joining the crew. If I really, really want to get a game I wait for some blazing promotion. I really, really wanted Skyrim. Bought everything for $9 when Steam got crazy. Before it I used the pirated version.
Even hacking the product isn't going to help you if you are unable to register and play it online, as it was meant to be. This greatly diminishes the social value of hacking a game if you cannot get the pride (and respect) of giving people something for nothing.
There are pirate servers for those. And there is a wealth of gamers that couldn't care less about the social experience so there is that.
My personal feeling is that more and more, gaming companies are going to move to a "razor / razor blade" model of operation, where the game that you buy is basic (complete in it's own way, but not the totality of the gaming experience) and they will continue to offer upgrades, new levels, and other gaming experiences to users who have a full copy and are registered with them.
Not a problem, pirates can offer the complete thing too, expansions and all. The problem is that companies are taking this to the extreme in a perfect DLC hell. Even if I wanted I wouldn't buy a game right at the release. Because you can bet your soul there will be DLC to rip you off.]
Our almost entirely always on universe makes this more and more of a likely scenario going forward, and one that will make piracy all but moot - they will be essentially selling what is not easily or even possible to be hacked.
Again, there are plenty of alternate servers. And you can usually turn your own computer into a server and play the goddamn game alone if you want. I've seen people playing World of Warcraft alone I kid you not. When they need support they make bots to assist them. So piracy will not end. And the gaming companies will keep throwing piles of money to try to stop a small group that wouldn't buy anyway. Incredibly smart move.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Changing times
This is true. But, people talking about this issue from the consumer end are not looking at the same short-sighted schedule as the corporations. I know that if I'm sure the game will not be playable in 12 months, you're not getting my money.
"Part of their value is in playing with others, either as network games or in downloading and adding game components to play"
Great, so enforce restrictions on who can play on those servers, and kick off hacked/modified games. The problem with DRM is not that it affects people playing multiplayer games on day 1, it's that it unnecessarily affect single player games for legal customers. The constant downloading is also a problem for many people, depending on their connection availability and caps, etc. That's why Microsoft were forced to reverse their planned XBox One DRM - too many real world problems with a console requiring a constant connection that assumed you were a pirate if the phoning home failed for a few minutes.
"My personal feeling is that more and more, gaming companies are going to move to a "razor / razor blade" model of operation..."
I know that personally you don't mind being screwed so long as a corporation is doing it. But, there's already a lot of backlash against this sort of approach, and it's a major reason why the indie gaming scene has received a big boost recently. DLC for cosmetic or features developed after the fact are acceptable to most people. DLC that's clearly meant to be part of the full game but you're charged extra for - after you've just paid full retail price for the "core" game - is not acceptable.
Funny that you picked the "razor/razorblade" analogy, given that the razor industry moved away from selling those as individual items in favour of selling complete packages with greater numbers of blades included in each razor. That is, completely the opposite of the situation you favour. I gather that you put your usual level of thought into this analogy (i.e. zero)?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Changing times
He's a bit like out_of_the_blue in that regard. Blue's reaction to videogames was "lol, who cares, you're all losers, but Techdirt doesn't like DRM so HA HA, go fuck yourself". You ever notice that that's most of what Whatever responds to - things that he thinks aren't going to affect him but us plebeians instead?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Changing times
....oh my god, we've gotten through to you. "Selling what cannot be hacked" is Techdirt 101. Selling, in other words, what's actually scarce. Miracles never cease....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Changing times
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Changing times
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Changing times
You mean when they patch the game to make it playable?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Simple Truth
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
There will come the day when some great game comes out and everyone wants it and the teams all snow ball this form of DRM trying to get in. When that happens the way will be found in. After it is once known how to, the DRM is just another step in the process to cracking a game.
While it is new, everyone is trying to get in. When it is older, so many hackers will try it out till one finds the way in. Once that is known the gig on the DRM protection is over with again.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
X86 considered harmful
In fact, the building blocks are already there: http://blog.invisiblethings.org/2015/10/27/x86_harmful.html
Richard Stallman calls this: Treacherous Computing. See: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/can-you-trust.en.html
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: X86 considered harmful
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: X86 considered harmful
No. It's just going to convince me to not buy games that require Intel.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The answer is that they need copyright law to prevent games from being copied without authorisation.
In other words, you can have either copyright law or Digital Rights Management. But if want to have both, you'll just look silly.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Your hypothesis presumes rational behavior
But we all know that gamers are stupid: really, REALLY stupid. These are morons who pay companies to abuse them, to lie to them, to rip them off. They've been doing this for years.
To expect them to suddenly do an about-face and behave rationally is asking far too much.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
In the end, I think both Pirates and DRM will lose this battle. Both will be rendered obsolete.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
A question of time..
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Until that Day I shall wholly support pirating games. Just because there might be a digital version doesn't excuse them for selling a broken product.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
I would be so much happier just buying my games instead of resorting to pirating working copies to replace the useless products I bought in good faith.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
Well there's your problem, stop buying from EA. Buying from them and not expecting the game to be broken or rip you off in some fashion is like hiring a career arsonist to house-sit and being surprised when you come back from your trip to a pile of smoldering embers.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I don't see piracy as a mean to play games freely, i usually do it following these parameters:
1) Am I interested in the game? if yes, then go to 2)
2) Is it more comfortable to play the pirated game or to play the normal version? If it's more comfortable go to 3) whichever one it is. Else don't touch.
3) Do I dislike the developper/company? if yes, don't go near it. else go to 4)
4) Did I have fun? Is there anything worth praising? if Yes, buy the game at some point, advise people to play it etc etc. Else, do not play it anymore, don't finish either.
I always follow that pattern pretty much. I know not everybody pirates for the same reasons, but that is how I view piracy for me. I just play the games and pay if it was worth paying.
A last reason not listed here is that I can't play the game legally here in France, so I resort to piracy (hi capcom, we're still waiting for monster hunter X)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The key?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: The key?
Unless DRM can be guaranteed never to affect paying customers (impossible, as the entire point is to assume everyone's a pirate until they prove otherwise), the key is to make the experience something worth paying for. People will pay a premium if it's worth it, DRM or no, but there's a limit to how much you can claw back with price alone.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Hmm
That's what it sounds like to me, and I hope that's what it is. :)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Most likely chain of events....
Behind the scenes: Denuvo Team emails (encrypted) crack data to 3DM
HEADLINE: 3DM breaks Denuvo DRM!!!
---
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
The name is Denuvo, as mentioned several times in the article. If you want in depth technical information about it and how it works, Google has plenty of details, since it's beyond the scope of the above article.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Or just stop playing.
Uncrackable DRM? The open source community with thrive in response. So good.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The PC games market has opened up quite a bit, with online retailers offering big discounts on titles. The people who really want to play the games at launch will almost certainly stump up the cash. People who are less interested will wait a few months for the game to come on sale and pick it up for much less.
This is quite a bit different to brick-and-mortar sales, where the price of a game rarely drops very slowly. It can take several years for the game to get below 50% of its original release price. This is as true today is it was 20 years ago.
With more people buying games due to the lower prices, there is less demand for cracked versions. Being the first to crack a bit of software doesn't have the same notoriety any more. Combine this with increasingly complex DRM, and it's no wonder time to crack is getting longer, or that titles aren't being cracked at all.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Whatever got insightful votes. He actually had something good going on.
Then he devolved into John Smith and his mailing lists.
What happened?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]