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Ubisoft's new DRM cracked in under 25 hours
- Thread starter KaOTiK
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When theres a will theres always a way. Hopefully these companies take the hint that drm is just hurting paying customers. The best way to convince someone to buy something is to give them the most enjoyable experience possible like if someone goes to a restaurant. Same thing applies to all things sold. People using the cracked copy will be getting the better experience in the end. They need to start thinking of the customers for once.
sirmonkey1985
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sure they are.. they are allowing people that went out and bought these games with this pos DRM on them to play the game DRM free.. gotta look at the big picture here.. heck thanks to these groups that crack games it makes it possible for me to install a game that requires the disc to play even in single player to throw the disc in my closet and never have to pull it out again.. i hate having to switch between discs just to play a game for an hour or two at the most..
Same here. I never seen anyone carry a big cd case to a lan party. Already know why
ikarinokami
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Personally I don't see the cause for celebration, all that will happen next time, is that they just won't release the game on the PC.
Plague_Injected
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Ubisuck for the win.
defiant007
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Monkey God
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Given a choice between way too many mediocre PC games with oppressive DRM and no PC games, I choose no games. Some publisher like StarDock will come along and do the right thing and fill the gap.
Shalafi
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only problem with StarDock was that their games like DemiGod didn't get supported enough, they had a high piracy rate
it's some of US who need to do the right thing
it's some of US who need to do the right thing
only problem with StarDock was that their games like DemiGod didn't get supported enough, they had a high piracy rate
it's some of US who need to do the right thing
I bought Demigod last year and still haven't gotten around to playing it. Probably never will with the current backlog of games I still want to play, but good developers should be supported.
+1. Just goes to prove that DRM is a waste of time and resources. I understand that software companies want to protect their games from piracy but DRM is not the answer, I'm glad it has failed too
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x/17456/Assassin's Creed 2 Patch 1.01 - US
We've got a millimeter's worth of movement on this but it still isn't nearly good enough for me.
I guess the best we can hope for here is maybe another Spore type situation.
I expect I won't have to wait too long for this game to come out, plummet in price, and then somehow very quietly after that this terrible DRM gets fully patched out. I'm more than happy to wait, especially at $60 a pop.
We've got a millimeter's worth of movement on this but it still isn't nearly good enough for me.
I guess the best we can hope for here is maybe another Spore type situation.
I expect I won't have to wait too long for this game to come out, plummet in price, and then somehow very quietly after that this terrible DRM gets fully patched out. I'm more than happy to wait, especially at $60 a pop.
bigdogchris
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This is great news quite frankly.
"Well, Ubisofts master plan has collapsed in under 24-hours, as infamous cracker group Skid-Row has tackled the new DRM and rendered it useless, meaning the only people now suffering with this ridiculous DRM are legitimate owners."
Better news that Ubisoft knew it would eventually be cracked but hoped it would hold of pirates for at least a month or two while the initial burst of sales was happening.
I agree with Dan that stopping casual piracy is really going to be the only way to go. Those users are the majority and don't know enough about computers or have the desire to invest time into figuring out how to steal it when buying it is supposed to be easier (except for Ubisoft games now).
Anybody that wants to pirate something is going to figure out a way to do it. Maybe someday we'll get back to simple disc checks or CD keys.
"Well, Ubisofts master plan has collapsed in under 24-hours, as infamous cracker group Skid-Row has tackled the new DRM and rendered it useless, meaning the only people now suffering with this ridiculous DRM are legitimate owners."
Better news that Ubisoft knew it would eventually be cracked but hoped it would hold of pirates for at least a month or two while the initial burst of sales was happening.
I agree with Dan that stopping casual piracy is really going to be the only way to go. Those users are the majority and don't know enough about computers or have the desire to invest time into figuring out how to steal it when buying it is supposed to be easier (except for Ubisoft games now).
Anybody that wants to pirate something is going to figure out a way to do it. Maybe someday we'll get back to simple disc checks or CD keys.
If console sales weren't as high as they were vs PC sales I'm sure this would be all flip flopped with say the 360 version requiring Gold Live Status and a 100% connection. Heck I'm surprised they aren't moving towards something of that sort just yet because it IS a lot easier to do such modifications then people think. A buddy of mine was telling me he was already playing the new FF on his 360 the other day for example and no he doesn't know how to upgrade his video card so sorry Cliffy B that arguement doesn't always apply.
Somebody summed it up nicely that if the prices were lower for titles that would open up more wallets since a lot of people wouldn't worry over a bad purchase of $20 then one of $69.99. I know for myself at least for console titles I've stopped buying them new and just wait a few months to pick them up used for a better price (helps that I'm a WoW addict and already have a queue of things to play thru) but when titles on the consoles sell millions of units at $69.99 publishers have no incentive to lower the price.
Somebody summed it up nicely that if the prices were lower for titles that would open up more wallets since a lot of people wouldn't worry over a bad purchase of $20 then one of $69.99. I know for myself at least for console titles I've stopped buying them new and just wait a few months to pick them up used for a better price (helps that I'm a WoW addict and already have a queue of things to play thru) but when titles on the consoles sell millions of units at $69.99 publishers have no incentive to lower the price.
Nope... Pirates will pirate so they didn't lose sales on that end, just countless hundreds of thousands of dollars on creating this DRM...
If this game suffers sales that are absolutely horrid when compared to recently released PC games, it's not the pirates, it was the bad publicity they received for their DRM (Dumbass Redundant Move).
I'm not playing the game until most of the DRM is removed and I can now get it for $10, or maybe I'll buy it second hand (if your able to)... Just so they don't get a dime of my money.
^This
The standard view here on the Internet seems to be that the game companies are the villain here, and we're all locked in an "us against them" situation. While I do disagree with a lot of the ways in which publishers react to piracy, the fact remains that their efforts are still reactionary to that outside force. Pirates, as a group, bear every bit as much responsibility (if not more) for the situation we're stuck in today in regards to DRM. And I for one refuse to celebrate the continued escalation of this conflict in which there can be no winners.
While there is the temptation to view this as Ubisoft getting their just desserts for a boneheaded business decision, the end result is that we, the legitimate consumers, still lose.
Parmenides
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Wow..I'm shocked. Certainly no one saw this coming.
I'm not a fan of piracy, it's really dicking things up for gamers in general, but when will they learn that punishing customers is just NOT the way to go about it?
I totally agree. Ubisoft needs to learn this lesson, even though piracy is bad news.
Not quite. Some pirates wouldn't buy anyways, but many other pirates would buy. But yes, the DRM development is wasted money that could be spent making the game better.
True, but this is not a complete loss. We are less likely to see other developers trying to pull off this new DRM scheme.
I see these points made about console game sales vs. PC game sales and 99 percent of the time I can tell those arguments are being made from a United States and USA only point of view.
How about globally? I'm sorry, but anyone that knows their facts at all knows that the PC globally is still one of THE most prominent platforms for a lot of things including gaming.
Taking nothing away from the consoles, of course.
How about globally? I'm sorry, but anyone that knows their facts at all knows that the PC globally is still one of THE most prominent platforms for a lot of things including gaming.
Taking nothing away from the consoles, of course.
Perhaps for some publishers, but just as many will just decide to abandon the PC as a platform altogether. As I said before, there are no winners in this battle.
meatfestival
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Haha. Ubisoft probably spent a shitload of money for this DRM, how could they not see this coming? Why even bother?
I don't think anyone serious about the issues has ever said otherwise. I enjoy many Ubisoft titles, especially Silent Hunter, but I can't purchase titles with this DRM on it. I don't pirate and I think that the attitude of "Pirate the game to teach them a lesson" is asinine logic. Best bet IMO is to just not purchase the game or products on any platform and don't pirate so as to not show any interest in it. The AC franchise has some serious potential and the game play looks amazing this second time around and yes I am bummed on missing out on it, but with my current backlog of games I can miss playing AC anytime soon.
Companies have every right to protect their IP, but as others have said this only hurts legitimate users and does nothing to protect their IP's. While in the short term we may lose, in the long term I feel we'll be the real winners. Look at Startdock and EA currently. Look at what Steam is doing for casual gaming and indie developers. If Ubisoft chooses to leave the PC market, then another developer will step up and fill the void.
Look at the Stalker series. Would they have done as well as they did without Steam? Look at Metro 2033 and there are quite a few other small developers on the cusp of making it big time. However, with that said, big time publishers such as EA, Ubisoft, Activision, and others can turn a franchise into shite quickly. This is one of the reasons EA turned themselves around. Instead of interfering with their developers they let them make the game and EA now has numerous new IP's that gamers from both the console and PC market enjoy.
So with that said, short term we may suffer if Ubisoft decides to stop producing PC games, long term may have beneficial repercussions if more developers learn the lessons from this debacle and produce higher quality games with less restrictive measures at a competitive price.
As I've said in past posts. I would be completely happy if companies like Ubisoft, EA, and Activision would disappear completely from the PC gaming scene. There is money to be made in the PC market, and if they can't figure out how to do it, then good riddance.
Small developers like CD Projekt are proving you don't need insane DRM, or massive advertising budgets to be a successful PC dev. If you remember back in time, all the greatest games didn't come from massive corporations who hire devs and control all creative aspects. The best games come from small devs who have a passion for making games. Remember Blizzard, iD, Valve all started out as very small companies. Westwood studios was a tiny company that had a massive impact on the RTS scene. Counter-strike, one of the most popular online games for years, was made by a single guy in his spare time.
If getting these large corporations out of the PC markets makes room for the small passionate dev again, I'm all for it.
yea i thought the exact same thing..
its so odd to read a thread like this, PC gaming is already getting pushed more "console" ports and stuff like this only adds fuel to it.
its almost like PC gamers dont' take pride in their system.
someone in the thread said they they wished it would have been defeated by people not buying it instead of people pirating it.
If people don't buy it that would actually invoke change in the PC gaming scene, developers take note of that more than anything.
Instead pirating does absolutely nothing to change the PC gaming scene, instead it only fuels its destruction.
Parmenides
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^ you have a good point
While I understand your point, I disagree in two regards. First, I don't think you have to get rid of the big players to make room for the little guys. The Indie scene is thriving on the PC these days, and will continue to thrive with or without the large publishers.
Second, the capital costs required to bring something like Assassin's Creed 2 to market, literally, dictate an entirely different set of rules than for an Indie game like Trine or SOASE (or for that matter one of the early Blizzard or Westwood games). Indie games can take bigger risks because they require less investment. But in order to bankroll a $50 million investment, you more or less have to be a public company (except in extra-ordinary cases like Valve). That basically means you're playing with money that isn't yours, and are therefore subject to certain laws regarding what kinds of risks you can and can't legitimately take with that money, risks like "what happens if half the people who play my game didn't pay for it"?
So while I think that in the absence of the big publishers, the little developers will continue to thrive. I think that they'll thrive making more or less the same kinds of games they make today. There are a lot of people who are fine with that. But there are still a lot of us who want to see big AAA titles that take advantage of the hardware we lavish so much or our attention and money on. And the longer this piracy issue drags on unresolved, the fewer and fewer of those games there are going to be.
TheResidentEvil
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I dont care if Ubisoft or any other dev stops releasing ports to the PC. I love the pc, dont even have an xbox or ps3 but sometimes these big devs think they know whats best. if they stop releasing these games, someone else will and we might get some innovation.
The chances of PC gaming dying is absurd. There are more people playing games online now than ever before. PC gaming (as we know it) dying, now that could actually be a good thing. Every so often you have to burn down the forest to let it grow back.
The chances of PC gaming dying is absurd. There are more people playing games online now than ever before. PC gaming (as we know it) dying, now that could actually be a good thing. Every so often you have to burn down the forest to let it grow back.
Sikkyu
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I would argue that DRM fuels PC's destruction because people dont want to deal with BS. they would rather buy a 250$ console get the game for a console. plug and play. all DRM does it piss off loyal consumers.
sweetreddyd
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Lol take that wabewalker.
Maybe this will teach UBI not to invest money in a technology that is now pretty much PROVEN to only screw over paying customers, and leave pirates completely unaffected.
Maybe this will teach UBI not to invest money in a technology that is now pretty much PROVEN to only screw over paying customers, and leave pirates completely unaffected.
Actually, everyone's a winner. It's just a simple matter of perspective.
Sabrewulf165
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Paraphrased:
I'd like to know what you people are smoking. Publishers don't give a shit. If absolutely NO one bought the game and didn't pirate it either, they'd just blame the lack of sales on piracy. Newsflash: there is no magic device that reports the difference between sales lost to piracy and sales lost to apathy. Grow up and join the real world you rubes.
I'd like to know what you people are smoking. Publishers don't give a shit. If absolutely NO one bought the game and didn't pirate it either, they'd just blame the lack of sales on piracy. Newsflash: there is no magic device that reports the difference between sales lost to piracy and sales lost to apathy. Grow up and join the real world you rubes.
if you really believe developers don't look at "pirated" data numbers then you are a fool. (i get the feeling in this thread some don't know the roles of the developers and the publishers)
take 2 examples,, where they are not even looking at torrent data, download data etc..
1. World of Goo, tracks the number of Pirates actually playing the game and reports an astonishing high rate
http://www.findmysoft.com/news/World-of-Goo-Piracy-Rates-Go-Through-the-Roof/
2D Boys said:
This wasn't from tracking trackers or downloads this was from actual people playing the game who didn't pay for it. This was tracked from their High Score system, actual people playing.
2. Infinity Ward and Call of Duty
http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/50748
shacknews said:
This was the same thing, no tracking of trackers or downloads but an actual count take from people who were playing pirated games online through infinity ward's servers.
now take the results of piracy and its adding fuel to bring us our "console ports"
http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/46079
shacknews said:
These are actual PC developers (not publishers) chiming in, both id and epic have shown that piracy has pushed them to develop for the console and because of that WE as pc gamers are getting more and more console ports.
Even the little guy (World of Goo) is hit hard by piracy and just goes to show that it isn't something us as the proud pc gamers should be celebrating when developers efforts are just swept under the rug and piracy wins.
If our pocket books spoke louder then the pirates the PC scene would be a lot better than it is now. We'd have more Stardock and 2Dboy type developers, we'd have more of the classic PC developers staying true to the PC platform. Instead we cheer these pirates like they are Heroes (just read this thread) all the while developers (keep the distinction between developer and publishers) are just getting frustrated.
PrincessFrosty
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I agree, gaming is rapidly becoming mainstream and this brings developers a lot of customers and therefore money, so games become large franchises like Halo and CoD with massive advertising budgets etc, but IMO the overall quality of games suffer for it.
I miss the old days of Bullfrog games like Theme Park, Theme Hospital and things like Colonization, Transport Tycoon, Pizza Tycoon, those were such good games, thoroughly good games that I even go back and play to this day.
"Staff announcement: Incoming patients with bloaty head"
AC2 was developed by Ubisoft Montreal, a subsidiary of Ubisoft Entertainment. There is no distinction here. The developer, in this case, is the publisher.
agrindinger
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Though I am not a pirate I am glad that this draconian use of DRM failed. Go with what EA is doing I find it works much better and people are less pissed off.
Itchyeyes I understand where your coming from but your giving these companies too much sympathy.
We can blame the pirates all we want but if piracy didn't exist chances are a large number of these current pirates wouldn't be bothered to buy the game in the first place and may possibly not have the money.
Should developers leave an open door for them to walk in? No, casual prevention through regular and older methods work just fine, if you can't play the game online (which many games are valued for their multiplayer component) then your most likely going to buy the game for that feature or just live without the game.
Lets be reasonable, Ubisoft is not a villian and neither are the pirates. What Ubisoft and other like Developers are doing is sinking to the low level the pirates are at. Just as the pirates have no respect for those who put their time and hard work to create these games, Developers like Ubisoft have taken a step in the same direction with showing no respect for those who follow and will buy their product. Until I see an uncrackable DRM (and I will most likely hate it even more then this pathetic attempt), is the day that DRM will be justifiable.
bigdogchris
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Completely disagree. As a paying customer I shouldn't have to jump through hoops. I shouldn't have a rougher time than someobody who stole it.
i think this is a good thing. it proves to companies there intrusive drm is un-needed. All they need is a simple cd check and cd key for multiplayer, anything beyond that is waisted money.
Let ubisoft cry all they want, if this doesnt teach them there retarded DRM is a lost cause then I hope thye leave the PC market, gives smaller companies more of a chance. As long as they keep this drm they arn't getting any of my money. (no im not pirating it either)
Let ubisoft cry all they want, if this doesnt teach them there retarded DRM is a lost cause then I hope thye leave the PC market, gives smaller companies more of a chance. As long as they keep this drm they arn't getting any of my money. (no im not pirating it either)
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