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DRM Entertainment Games

Bethesda Apparently Broke Its Own Denuvo Protection For Doom Eternal (arstechnica.com) 105

According to users on Reddit and ResetEra, Bethesda launched Doom Eternal with a DRM-free copy of the game's executable sitting in plain sight amid the download package. Ars Technica reports: Forum users on Reddit and ResetEra were among the first yesterday to report on the "official" DRM-free leak, which sat in a sub-folder titled "Original" for the Bethesda Launcher version of the game. That 67MB file can reportedly replace the 370MB, DRM-protected executable in the main game folder with minimal effort and no practical effect on playability. Ars has been unable to independently verify these reports, as a subsequent patch has apparently removed the DRM-free executable. But the trackers at CrackWatch and repackers in the cracking community have confirmed that the DRM-free version was distributed and working shortly after launch. And while the DRM-free version still requires a Bethesda account login the first time it's run, forum reports suggest crackers have already discovered a simple method to patch that check for a completely offline pirated experience.
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Bethesda Apparently Broke Its Own Denuvo Protection For Doom Eternal

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  • Does it matter? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Kokuyo ( 549451 ) on Saturday March 21, 2020 @06:03AM (#59856112) Journal

    It won't take long for the pirates to crack it anyway.

    Also I'm not giving Bethesda my money, full stop. I frankly don't even want to play their crap...

    • It won't take long for the pirates to crack it anyway.

      Long is relative. Modern DRM is so damn invasive that it is really a feat to crack it anyway. Denuvo these effectively runs the entire executable within a locked down VM and constantly streams data to remote servers to verify its active. This is why Denuvo executables are several hundred MB larger than normal and why games like Borderlands 3 were criticised for causing Streamer's internet connections to stutter due to the constant load placed on the network. It is a truly frigging horrible piece of garbage.

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      It does matter because it means that the paid version is now as good as the pirate version, at least until they issue a patch that is mandatory for online play and which re-enables the DRM.

      It's also interesting how the DRM makes the executable over 5x larger with no benefit to the player. And even more fascinating will be when we have some benchmarks to compare the two versions so we can see how much performance is lost to Denuvo.

      Let's see how well it sells compared to DRM protected games. Considering Denuv

  • Same thing as before (Score:5, Informative)

    by Luckyo ( 1726890 ) on Saturday March 21, 2020 @06:09AM (#59856128)

    If I remember correctly same thing happened with Bethesda before, specifically with Rage 2. Unencrypted .exe without denuvo. Piracy folks joked around that they should call these releases "game title - BETHESDA" in reference of cracker groups using "game title - group name" nomenclature for cracked games.

    Whether this is incompetence, internal sabotage or just trolling remains to be seen. If you're wondering about the last one, release version of Doom Eternal has several game breaking bugs, including one that crashes the game on final level for many people who bought the game for maximum blue balls. Which are getting patched ASAP, but patched versions aren't getting an unencrypted .exe to go with them.

    • by Sumguy2436 ( 6186944 ) on Saturday March 21, 2020 @07:41AM (#59856260)

      Doom Eternal has several game breaking bugs, including one that crashes the game on final level for many people who bought the game for maximum blue balls. Which are getting patched ASAP, but patched versions aren't getting an unencrypted .exe to go with them.

      I believe game breaking bugs like that are intentional. That way the pirated release is unplayable and keeping it up to date is often cumbersome or impossible.

      • I believe you are wrong
      • by Anonymous Coward
        I remember hearing about at least one case where a CEO admitted to leaking their own game to torrent sites with important functionality broken: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/... [gamesindustry.biz]
        • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

          This is mainly a marketing trick by small indies. For them, any exposure tends to be good for sales in current gaming market where any new release tends to be drowned in an ocean of other small indie releases during the same day.

          Larger AAA and even AA studios tend to not need this sort of a visibility boost, as they have meaningful marketing budgets.

      • I believe game breaking bugs like that are intentional. That way the pirated release is unplayable and keeping it up to date is often cumbersome or impossible.

        That's a great conspiracy if it weren't the fact that unfinished buggy game breaking shit is the norm these days regardless of if pirated copies are available. Additionally once a package is cracked back-porting the patch is incredibly trivial and poses no problem for pirates at all.

        • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

          It's worth remembering that scene people, the actual crackers, give between zero and no fucks about "they leaked a DRM-free exe, so we should deliver future patches based on it". They're in it for technical showmanship, that being speed and quality of cracks and they'll keep trying to crack the actual encrypted .exe. It shows in the fact that the group that has been doing the release this time is repackers, who compete on how effectively they can pack the installer package instead, not how it is cracked.

          And

          • It shows in the fact that the group that has been doing the release this time is repackers

            False. The first release to come out was from Elamigos, the second release to come out was from CODEX and both simply included the original exe, and neither group are repackers. Crackers aren't all about some technical showmanship, they are just as prolific at releasing games with garbage DRM as they are about trying to be the first to strip Denuvo. Ultimately they have the same reputation in the piracy world to maintain as repackers, i.e. their name at the end of a release has some meaning and that meaning

            • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

              >The first release to come out was from Elamigos

              Who are a repacker group. It seems that your "False" applies to your post and not mine.

              >the second release to come out was from CODEX

              They cracked the DLC activation mechanism, not the game itself. Initial torrent of repacked releases dind't have working DLC.

      • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        With the head start that the cracking groups have from the original non-DRM infected executable though it won't take them long to get out cracked copies of the patch though. In fact often the patches don't even touch the game executable (except in this case to add back in the DRM), they just updated the unprotected game assets.

    • Looks like bullshit. I would be seeing Steam reviews filled with anger right now, which doesn't seem to be the case.
      • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

        How many people play through entire game in one sitting? What's percentage of those that will hit this particular bug?

        As far as I know, at least one of not two patches were already pushed on the game at this point since release.

  • Ok, whatever (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Saturday March 21, 2020 @06:11AM (#59856130)

    Wake me when there's an official DRM-free (including logging in to some account) version of the game. Then I'll buy.

    If it doesn't come, I'll continue my existence without the game. I can live without your game, can you live without our money?

    • by Kjella ( 173770 )

      Of the people who think like you? Yes, they can. Most people are more like life's too short, if the game excites you it's either pay or pirate not pass. With the corona virus scraping life down to the bare necessities we know what people really can't live without, but if this goes on for any length of time we're going to see more and more people crack and go back to seeing friends and family and hooking up and going on holidays and events and clubs and concerts and so on simply because that's living and not

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        by Opportunist ( 166417 )

        I noticed a long while ago that there's plenty of games around that are great and not trying to keep me on a DRM-leash. Support your indie dev, give them your money. More interesting and novel games, more exciting gameplay and cheaper to boot. And on top of that, cheaper game development usually also means less power hungry games that stay fresh longer because they don't rely on eye candy to distract from the lack of gameplay.

        What's not to like?

      • How are they going to go to clubs and concerts when the venues are closed. How are they going to hook up when fines are issued for people without a valid reason to leave the house. How are the going to travel when all travel is heavily restricted? That's what's happening in Italy and France right now, and it's coming to the US soon.
        • "How are they going to hook up when fines are issued for people without a valid reason to leave the house"

            So where in the United States are the cops stopping people for being out of the house without a valid reason, and how are they determining that they have a valid reason?

    • If it doesn't come, I'll continue my existence without the game. I can live without your game, can you live without our money?

      I managed to play for 33minutes before requesting a refund through steam. I can honestly say your life will not be negatively impacted if a DRM-free version never comes.

      I never found a Doom game boring before. But I enjoyed even Doom 3 more than this, which is saying something because I almost wet myself with excitement when the E3 announce trailer hit.

    • by dissy ( 172727 )

      Wake me when there's an official DRM-free (including logging in to some account) version of the game. Then I'll buy.

      The current Bethesda track record is to only do that upon release of the next game.
      Sadly the Doom release schedule seems quite infrequent.

      You'll note the latest Fallout (4) and Elder Scrolls (6, Skyrim) are not on GoG
      New Vegas was released on GoG slightly after Fallout 4 was released, and same for Oblivion with Skyrims release.

      Of course with the MMO disaster most of us are never expecting to see another single player version in either of those series.
      So you may be sleeping undisturbed waiting a very long ti

      • by dissy ( 172727 )

        Oops, that was "5 skyrim"
        My brain is still wishing elder scrolls 6 will be like the older games, but hasn't fully blocked that out of my subconscious :P

  • by Can'tNot ( 5553824 ) on Saturday March 21, 2020 @06:19AM (#59856142)

    while the DRM-free version still requires a Bethesda account login the first time it's run

    This sentence makes no sense, apparently the "DRM-free" version has to be cracked in order to remove the DRM. I suspect that people are so deep in denial at this point that they're using the phrase "DRM-free" when they mean "less abusive DRM" or "fewer DRM checks." This is a sad state of affairs.

    I'm glad that Bethesda removed the less-bad version of the game, I almost had a positive thought about Bethesda for a second there.

    • by ffkom ( 3519199 ) on Saturday March 21, 2020 @06:40AM (#59856170)
      Indeed, these days obedient consumers seem to rejoice already if they are less violently raped by media corporations. Standards deteriorated.
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • This sentence makes no sense, apparently the "DRM-free" version has to be cracked in order to remove the DRM. I suspect that people are so deep in denial at this point that they're using the phrase "DRM-free" when they mean "less abusive DRM" or "fewer DRM checks." This is a sad state of affairs.

      No you misunderstand. DRM and the login required are two very different things. You don't need to "crack" the latter. In fact it works just fine with the DRM free version. Even multi-player worked until the first patch (now it asks you to update), and the "crack" in this case is simply block the game at the firewall so it thinks its offline and dumps you straight past the login screen to the menu.

      DRM is the fucking worst.
      Except for requiring online login for single player, that's even worster. Fortunately t

  • Nothing new. Those most arrogant, most distrustful and most greedy are routinely also the most incompetent.

  • by sinij ( 911942 ) on Saturday March 21, 2020 @07:50AM (#59856284)
    I like to play Doom Eternal but I will not as I can't be bothered with creating another account and strongly dislike DRM.
    • by gweihir ( 88907 )

      They want an account? I guess I will refund then...

    • When someone says: I wonâ(TM)t buy X because of Y, they wouldnâ(TM)t have bought X regardless. But it makes them feel better.
      • "I won't buy a Tesla because it's too expensive and I think the giant screen in the middle of the dashboard of the model 3 looks stupid and out of place."

        Well, there you go. I don't feel particularly better but I guess my bank account is happier now.

        • You don't feel better after making a snide comment on the internet? Then what are you here for?

          *I feel better having made this post.

    • I like to play Doom Eternal but I will not as I can't be bothered with creating another account and strongly dislike DRM.

      Block the exe at the firewall then it will skip the account request.

  • by BAReFO0t ( 6240524 ) on Saturday March 21, 2020 @08:04AM (#59856326)

    You get an encrypted binary, a decryptor called Denuvo, and a key . . .
    . . . and are expected to tell your CPU to execuce the decryptor's commands, and act like the key doesn't exist because of some obfuscation that the CPU has to untangle to do that job anyway.

    And it's a "crime" if you "break" is. Because it is a "protection".

    Riiiiight ...

    Call me when you even get to Cubase 6 levels (where the entire GUI ran on the CPU inside the "dongle")... which also got cracked, by piping the executable through the dongle and getting out the decrypted exe anyway.

    No wonder they are pushing towards dumb clients on essentially a mainframe again ... which literally not a single person asked for.
    While people ruin that anyway, because they have stopped even playing the games, but merely watch "letsplays", because apparently even pretending to have a life is too much effort...

    *blows party horn*
    This species is nuts.
    *proceeds with "Cave of the Beast"-style insanity*

    • Let's plays are the only way to deal with shitty game ergonomics, repetitive gameplay and content gated solely by enormous amounts of RNG rolls.
  • by bluescrn ( 2120492 ) on Saturday March 21, 2020 @08:55AM (#59856424)
    That's a huge size difference. Anyone done a performance comparison?
    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by infogramX ( 6706828 )
      I tried testing it against my legit Steam copy, could only get up to the first menu/sign-in screen though, but even there the new Denuvoless EXE seemed to have a huge performance increase: 180-200FPS Denuvoless vs 110-120FPS legit Steam. Really hope someone will do a proper comparison soon.
      • Ah, I should note this was with Steam overlay/FPS counter/etc disabled too, like they recommended, so that couldn't be the cause of this.
    • Denuvo is an entire virtual machine these days and absolutely horrible for performance on every game with it included.

  • Are there actually people who hate the practices of a game company and then still give them money? Adults? Jesus, it's a GAME. Go make the world a better place instead.

    • by GuB-42 ( 2483988 )

      And for once, playing video games (and staying at home) is a way to make the world a better place.

    • Jesus, it's a GAME.

      Indeed it's a game. Games are a form of entertainment and they make people feel good. It's no different from consuming an addictive drug, going to the gym, or posting replies to stupid posts on Slashdot, they all make you feel good which is why people do them.

      Very VERY few people get intrinsic joy out of making the world a better place. In fact the majority of anything we do is the exact opposite.

      *This post brought to you by a waste of power contributing to global warming. But it feels good to make it.

  • "Forum users on Reddit and ResetEra were among the first yesterday to report on the "official" DRM-free leak, which sat in a sub-folder titled "Original" for the Bethesda Launcher version of the game. "

    This is a textbook case of stepping on your own dick.

  • I heard that Doom 2016 was *the* great latest Doom game, and that Eternal basically wrecked what D2016 got right. Sort of like Windows 7 vs 8.

    I have not played either game yet, but I've read a lot of complaints about DE's gameplay.

  • by stikves ( 127823 ) on Saturday March 21, 2020 @06:05PM (#59857800) Homepage

    The ideal way to reap the initial sale rewards, while still supporting the community would be to go stages.

    First release the game with DRM, but make sure no rootkits (looking at you Sony), or no breakages (too many to list).

    Then several months later release a DRM-free patch. There are so many games which can no longer be played since the DRM servers are no longer available. There are entire ecosystems, like Games for Windows that made the games people *paid* no longer playable.

    And finally make the engine open source. This is what id (the company that developed Doom) used to do back in the day. This allows the game being available to future generations, while also allowing the curious future coders learn new tricks. We can play Doom on calculators, ATMs, printers, and whatnot. Quake 3 can still run on modern hardware, and people still pay for the original content. (No need to make the game content free, just the engine).

    Unfortunately companies are lazy, release the game with broken DRMs, and abandon them a few years later. If some people manage to break that dependency, that are sued to oblivion. And 20 years later, they milk their fans by releasing the same content in new platforms.

    • And finally make the engine open source. This is what id (the company that developed Doom) used to do back in the day.

      Except that day is passed thanks to every game now using cross licensed engines from other companies and those other companies often making a small killing selling those engines. The days of open sourcing commercial games is past, you'll only see this as a technical rarity these days.

      Unfortunately companies are lazy, release the game with broken DRMs, and abandon them a few years later. If some people manage to break that dependency, that are sued to oblivion. And 20 years later, they milk their fans by releasing the same content in new platforms.

      Make up your mind. Either companies are too lazy to give stuff away for free, or they want to hold onto it so they can charge for it in the future. They can't be both.

  • This is most likely a fake. I have been working in the gaming industry https://innovecs.com/industrie... [innovecs.com] for a long time and understand this. I looked at the code and did not find any vulnerabilities there. But thanks to this, noise rose and this game became a good info occasion and received additional players.

Don't get suckered in by the comments -- they can be terribly misleading. Debug only code. -- Dave Storer

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