Hacker Group Claims Real Ubisoft DRM Crack

[Andy Chalk]

Hacker Group Claims Real Ubisoft DRM Crack

Assassin's Creed 2 [http://www.ubi.com] DRM has reportedly been cracked and this time they really, really mean it.

Rumors that Ubisoft's new "always on" DRM had been broken first surfaced back in early March with the launch denied [http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Hunter-Battle-Atlantic-Download-Pc/dp/B003BVIXWW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1278528052&sr=1-2] the claims and eventually it came to light that the crack was real but imperfect, allowing users to access only a portion of the game's content. But now, more than a month later, reports of a new, successful crack for Assassin's Creed 2 are making the rounds and this time it looks like there might be something to it.

The crack, created by a group calling itself Skid Row, uses a modified version of the game's executable to remove the DRM entirely. The files, along with a program that will purge the DRM from the retail release of the game, were uploaded to file-sharing sites on Tuesday night.

"Thank you Ubisoft, this was quiete [sic] a challenge for us, but nothing stops the leading force from doing what we do," the group wrote in a message that turned up on Reddit [http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/bu69y/assassins_creed_2_drm_cracked_message_from/] and elsewhere. "Next time focus on the game and not on the DRM. It was probably horrible for all legit users. We just make their lifes [sic] easier."

I don't know if the claim is legit and I have neither Assassin's Creed 2 nor the patience necessary to dick around with warez sites and cracks in order to find out. But it was virtually inevitable that the copy protection would eventually be defeated and while it sounds kind of pathetic when you say it out loud, a month and a half from launch to crack is actually a pretty respectable stretch. Does it justify the frustration and anger of thousands of users around the world with a DRM system that still appears to be wonky [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/99770-Settlers-7-DRM-Problems-Still-Unresolved]? That's another question altogether.

Source: CNET [http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20003120-248.html]


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[Toasty Virus]

Well to be honest, Good on them.

I hate Ubisoft for this.

 

[MR T3D]

If I ever wanted ass creed 2, and on PC, i'd be sure to use this.

and I never pirate.
also:

WOW! that sure was unbeatable DRM!

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

It took a month and a half to break the unbreakable pirate proof code, code which has basically prevented legitimate users from enjoying the game a lot of times.

It might have taken a little longer, but this shows just how pointless this round of DRM was. Pirates: 1 Ubisoft: I think we may well be into minus figures now.

 

[jamesworkshop]

I wondered how long it would take for the story to be picked up by the escapist
I actually sent a congratulatory text to a guy in skidrow when i heard about it yesterday

 

[Nimbus]

While this is the first traditional crack that has surfaced (And it is legit- Skidrow is tied for first as the leading cracking group), the game has been completable for weeks, albeit though server emulation, which is a little tricker than normal to set up.

I would like to point out the legit customers are STILL suffering through this horrible inconvenience, while everyone that was going to pirate it have only been delayed by this. Sure, Ubi gets a few more sales (VERY few), but realistically, pissing off all your customers, loosing gamer good will, and putting ridiculous amounts of cash into creating an inventive new DRM scheme can't possibly made it up, considering they will have to keep the servers running 24/7 FOREVER in order for people to continue playing the game. Not to mention the fact that it probably lost them more sales then it got them, considering the bad reputation the game has gotten as a direct result of this.

 

[Kanodin0]

A month and a half isn't bad at all, long enough to get the precious first month sales of impatient would be pirates anyway. Problem is, besides making people like me refuse to buy it, is that now that it's been cracked once they know how and the cracking will get faster every time this system is used.

 

[sheic99]

While this is the first traditional crack that has surfaced (And it is legit- Skidrow is tied for first as the leading cracking group), the game has been completable for weeks, albeit though server emulation, which is a little tricker than normal to set up.

I would like to point out the legit customers are STILL suffering through this horrible inconvenience, while everyone that was going to pirate it have only been delayed by this. Sure, Ubi gets a few more sales (VERY few), but realistically, pissing off all your customers, loosing gamer good will, and putting ridiculous amounts of cash into creating an inventive new DRM scheme can't possibly made it up, considering they will have to keep the servers running 24/7 FOREVER in order for people to continue playing the game. Not to mention the fact that it probably lost them more sales then it got them, considering the bad reputation the game has gotten as a direct result of this.

And for future games also, many people like myself won't touch a Ubisoft game while this DRM is still intact, this includes consoles.

 

[blackshark121]

I wonder if they did this to settlers 7, because that looked like an interesting game.

I'll probably just mail Ubisoft $50 if I decide to pirate it... dunno.

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

Ignore the pirates, develop good games, you will make money. Piss off your paying customers to slightly, temporarily inconvenience the pirates, you will make less money.

Publishers are for the most part clueless about how their own industry works. Blizzard is almost getting it with their Russia pricing scheme but they really should run it that way for the whole world.

 

[erbkaiser]

Good news. Ubisoft deserves this more than any other company.

Thanks to these hackers now finally AC2 is theoretically playable for people without a perfect net connection, something Ubisoft could not manage.

 

[thethingthatlurks]

Well to be honest, Good on them.

I hate Ubisoft for this.

Aye, so true.
I don't have copies of either affected game, legal or otherwise, but at least I'd now consider buying them if I can remove the DRM bullcrap.

 

[Kollega]

You know the funniest part?

Now that it's been cracked once they know how and the cracking will get faster every time this system is used.

Right here. I'm pretty sure that other games featuring that DRM will be cracked much faster than AC2.

 

[cainx10a]

The only solution to piracy is the system OnLive uses (of course, as long as someone with access to the files do not decide to 'share' it with others). Cut the middle-man, no more disc that can be copied, no more data installed on your drive that can be copied, just give them a portal to play the game they paid for, end of line.

But seriously, who want that to happen?

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Good. Maybe EA will take the hint as well, since they seemed to be looking into a similar system.

 

[NoNameMcgee]

snippity

Actually it was 'cracked' about half a month ago, but it wasn't really a crack more of a work-around that faked Ubisoft's servers on your computer fooling the game into thinking it was connecting to Ubisoft when in fact it wasn't. Still, although it wasn't a traditional method I'm pretty sure you could play through the whole game fine with it. Personally I bought the game just after launch because the DRM doesn't bother me and I knew it was an excellent game underneith, but this is what I've gathered from posts on my usual warez hang-outs. So really it took more like a month or a little less.

I think the record holder for longest time a game took to crack is still Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, which was out over an ENTIRE YEAR before warez groups were successfully able to crack the Starforce protection on it.

 

[Plurralbles]

well, just as some people download no CD cracks fr their legimately purchased games, I'm sure that program that removes the code from teh purchased game will see a lot of downloads.

 

[reg42]

Good. I'm not going to run out and pirate it, but Ubisoft need to realist that they can't pull this bullshit.

 

[SomeBoredGuy]

Ironically, I expect the PC sales for AC2 will have jumped now that people know that they can remove the obnoxious DRM.

 

[Ligisttomten]

It was inevitable.