Six Popular Games Including Mortal Kombat 1 and Far Cry 5 Cracked Within a Day Despite Denuvo Protection

Denuvo Security Breached

According to НВ — Техно: On September 8th at 3:15 PM, it was revealed that six well-known games protected by Denuvo DRM were hacked between September 5th and 6th. The compromised titles include some major releases such as:

• Mortal Kombat 1
• Persona 3 Reload
• Star Wars Outlaws
• Far Cry 5
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
• Metal Gear Solid V

Notably, the hacker known as voices38 released cracked versions of games including Star Wars Outlaws, while another hacker, 0xZeOn, successfully bypassed the protection on Far Cry 5.

The Impact of Piracy on the Gaming Industry

Mortal Kombat 1, which launched in 2023, was among the titles targeted by these recent breaches. Meanwhile, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Metal Gear Solid V were cracked on September 5th and 6th respectively. Research published on ScienceDirect highlights that piracy inflicts the greatest financial losses during the initial weeks post-release. This pressure has led some publishers, like Square Enix, to remove DRM protections roughly six months after launch.

For context, voices38 required about a month to circumvent the DRM on Capcom's Pragmata. In contrast, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight from TT Games, also secured with Denuvo, was cracked immediately after its Steam release. Some cracking methods involve hypervisor-level exploits that compel users to disable certain Windows security features, raising additional concerns among DRM developers.

Studies indicate that Denuvo’s defenses are being compromised more rapidly over time, with voices38 essentially streamlining the cracking process for new game releases. Unless the company Irdeto, which manages Denuvo, can develop effective countermeasures, publishers might reconsider their reliance on this protection technology-potentially reshaping anti-piracy strategies within the video game industry.

The breach of Denuvo’s protection, widely regarded as one of the most advanced DRM solutions, underscores the increasing challenges developers and publishers face in combating piracy.

These developments could prompt companies to reassess their approach to digital rights management, possibly moving away from methods that are losing effectiveness. This shift might also influence future investments in innovative technologies and protection techniques to safeguard intellectual property.