Scene hacker Voksi arrested for cracking Denuvo, raided by police

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PC gamers should be familiar with the word Denuvo, the latest anti-piracy tech created in 2014 in order to prevent pirates from cracking PC games on release. For a while, it seemed that hacking teams were defeated, unable to crack the software which had gained notoriety for supposedly causing high levels of CPU and hard drive usage, making games run worse than normal. Then came along Voksi, one of the first to reliably understand how Denuvo worked and be able to remove the software from pirated copies of games. He made a name for himself by cracking high profile games very shortly after launch, and gained popularity in the cracking scene. However, that streak appears to have ended today.

On July 25, Voksi went radio silent on all communication, and then had the website to his hacking group, REVOLT, removed by the Bulgarian government. Later that day, Voksi reappeared and claimed that police had raided his home, arresting him and taking away both his computers.

It finally happened, 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.

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.

Denuvo's parent company, Irdeto, filed a suit with Bulgarian government, on the charges of "cybercrimes", and now, it appears Voksi will no longer be removing Denuvo from new game releases.
 

DrayanoX

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The point is that the game was created with the expectation of returning a profit. When it's cracked on release day, it's chances of profits dwindle. Why? Because again, no one will pay for what they can get for free. Why would they?.
Look up The Witcher 3. AAA game with absolutely no DRM (it was released on GOG, you could literally buy it once and copy/share it to as many PC as you want), yet it sold millions of copies. Because it was actually a GOOD game.
 

the_randomizer

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I'm even more astounded by DRM warriors and damage control who seem to be okay with developers who get off by implementing DRM into their games. "B..but muh DRM, I must stop teh piratez!" Ha ha ha ha ha, are they for real? Do they honestly believe that having DRM is going to increase sales? Ha ha ha ha ha! I would love to see evidence that states stronger DRM = stronger sales. Projekt CD and GOG both say hi.

Sorry, but restrictive/unnecessarily invasive DRM only drives people to pirate the game and/or crack the DRM, not encourage more to buy it.
 
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Song of storms

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So you said it:
- it’s not the drm that make sales, it’s the quality of the game

If your game is shitty no one will buy it and will crack it
If your game is outstanding people will buy it even if there is a day one crack, because why? Because they deserve it!
The Witcher 3 was widely anticipated because everyone played the first two. You don't need DRM if your game is good AND you have a lot of visibility. Good luck making any kind of money if you're a new developer and made an ok game. So what, just because they didn't make the next GOTY they deserve no money?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

I'm even more astounded by DRM warriors and damage control who seem to be okay with developers who get off by implementing DRM into their games. "B..but muh DRM, I must stop teh piratez!" Ha ha ha ha ha, are they for real? Do they honestly believe that having DRM is going to increase sales? Ha ha ha ha ha! I would love to see evidence that states stronger DRM = stronger sales. Projekt CD and GOG both say hi.

Sorry, but restrictive/unnecessarily invasive DRM only drives people to pirate the game and/or crack the DRM, not encourage more to buy it.
For some reason I highly doubt that you don't lock the door of your house before leaving it. But why would you? It's unnecessary security because anybody with the right equipment can break it! Might as well just leave it unlocked! Hypocrite.
 

kuwanger

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For some reason I highly doubt that you don't lock the door of your house before leaving it. But why would you? It's unnecessary security because anybody with the right equipment can break it!

DRM is like putting a lock on a door that must open when you turn the handle and for which forced entry leaves no clues of tampering. Also, in the world of lock breaking/bypass tools being illegal you'd have to be ban axes, screwdrivers, hammers, shoulder pads, etc. So, yes, DRM can be meant to be a tool like physical locks to keep honest people honest, but there's a whole slew of ways in which physical locks are different than digital ones.

Hypocrite

There's also a big difference between you putting a lock on your house door and using it vs your bank for which you owe a mortgage (and for which all bank mortgaged homes use the same lock/key [system]). It doesn't make you a hypocrite. Like DRM, part of the reason for a physical lock is as a basis for harsher punishments. The difference is often in the practicality of enforcement in getting even a basic punishment applied. Ie, actually finding and punishing a pirate vs finding and punishing a trespasser.
 
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the_randomizer

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The Witcher 3 was widely anticipated because everyone played the first two. You don't need DRM if your game is good AND you have a lot of visibility. Good luck making any kind of money if you're a new developer and made an ok game. So what, just because they didn't make the next GOTY they deserve no money?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------


For some reason I highly doubt that you don't lock the door of your house before leaving it. But why would you? It's unnecessary security because anybody with the right equipment can break it! Might as well just leave it unlocked! Hypocrite.

Yeah, you keep believing that, dude, keep using unsubstantiated and baseless assumptions. DRM is bad, it hurts consumers, you cannot deny it. Nowhere does DRM benefit the customer, nor does it help with sales.
 
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Good luck making any kind of money if you're a new developer and made an ok game. So what, just because they didn't make the next GOTY they deserve no money?
Nobody bothers even pirating indie games that aren't any good really. Not sure what your pont is. I don't like the "if they pirated it, they weren't going to buy it anyway" excuse, but it works in thos case. Or is your point that we now have to go out and buy average to below average indie games now because someone out there might have copied it to another computer?

Oh, and btw, the first 2 Witcher games were DRM free as well, so the hype thing doesn't add up here.
 
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Song of storms

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Nobody bothers even pirating indie games that aren't any good really. Not sire what the pont is. I don't like the "if they pirated it, they weren't going to buy it anyway" excuse, but it works in thos case. Or is your point that we now have to go out and buy average to below average indie games now because someone out there might have copied it to another computer?
"Ok" doesn't mean "not good". Pokémon Ultra Sun/Moon were ok games.
 

Kioku

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The Witcher 3 was widely anticipated because everyone played the first two. You don't need DRM if your game is good AND you have a lot of visibility. Good luck making any kind of money if you're a new developer and made an ok game. So what, just because they didn't make the next GOTY they deserve no money?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------


For some reason I highly doubt that you don't lock the door of your house before leaving it. But why would you? It's unnecessary security because anybody with the right equipment can break it! Might as well just leave it unlocked! Hypocrite.
Wait... What? Did you really just compare the security of your house and potentially your family to telling consumers they don't actually own the product they BOUGHT? The hell is wrong with you? DRM is nothing short of insulting to the end consumer.
 

the_randomizer

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Wait... What? Did you really just compare the security of your house and potentially your family to telling consumers they don't actually own the product they BOUGHT? The hell is wrong with you? DRM is nothing short of insulting to the end consumer.

Thank you! Glad someone else finally said it :P Not sure what the hell kind of gas he's been huffing.
 
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DrayanoX

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Okay let's admit for a second that DRM help sales. In that case, why developers don't remove the DRM from their game once the game is cracked ?
 
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Okay let's admit for a second that DRM help sales. In that case, why developers don't remove the DRM from their game once the game is cracked ?
Sometimes they do, but in both cases it's because of contractual reasons usually. Either because they don't want to renew the contract if the game is cracked, or they are contractually bound not to remove it until a certain time.
 

scoobydude51

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I won’t be surprised If denuvo updates to v5.5 or even v6.0 after this incident. His name and likeness will be used as a message to those who try to crack denuvo. “Crack our DRM, and everyone’s game will get more worse in performance”.

Denuvo is starting to sound like a company that is usually the villain of a dystopian sci-if world that is evil and it’s ruining people’s fun. They’ve gotten too powerful for global cyberspace and they’re basically as corrupt as governments and law enforcement. They’re probably best friends with the greedy AAA industry right now. I bet they’re popping corks and having parties at each headquarters.
 
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