Piracy
Ongoing coverage on Piracy.
Latest coverage
"We recommend looking for alternatives" - The Anbernic RG DDS just lost official support from the best 3DS emulator, and it's thanks to "unofficial piracy-focused forks"
The Azahar Emulator team has officially withdrawn support for Anbernic's RG DDS handheld due to the manufacturer's promotion of unofficial, piracy-focused forks of the emulator. This decision, driven by concerns over potential legal repercussions and association with piracy, means Anbernic devices will no longer receive official bug fixes or support, with the developer recommending alternatives like the Retroid Pocket Duo.
Remedy Boss Reacts After Control Resonant Sells 1 Million Copies, Becoming Studio's Fastest-Selling Game
Remedy Entertainment announced that Control Resonant has sold one million copies, making it the studio's fastest-selling game to date. This milestone was achieved despite instances of piracy following the game's digital launch in September.
Retro Handhelds Loaded With Unlicensed Games Could Face Government Crackdown
The Electronic Software Association (ESA) is urging the US government to crack down on retro handheld devices pre-loaded with unlicensed games, labeling them "superfakes." The ESA wants these devices and associated marketplaces added to the Notorious Markets List to combat piracy and counterfeiting, which they argue significantly harm the gaming industry by substituting for legitimate purchases.
Unofficial PS5 pirate store with over 1,600 games taken down before being immediately replaced by a clone, with Pandora's box open following recent jailbreak
An unofficial PlayStation 5 store offering over 1,600 pirated games was quickly replaced by a clone after its initial takedown, highlighting the challenges Sony faces following a recent PS5 jailbreak. This situation is compared to Nintendo's struggles with emulator clones, suggesting a continuous battle against piracy and unauthorized access.
ESA flags retro console maker Anbernic for inclusion on US government's Notorious Market List
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has recommended that retro console maker Anbernic be added to the US government's Notorious Market List due to its alleged facilitation of hardware-based piracy. The ESA claims Anbernic normalizes piracy by selling devices preloaded with unauthorized games, shifting monitoring costs to publishers and potentially bypassing safety protections.
Denuvo attempts to subpoena Discord, Valve, and Reddit in effort to identify hacker
Denuvo is seeking subpoenas for Discord, Valve, and Reddit to identify a hacker known as "voices38" who has allegedly bypassed its digital rights management technology on numerous PC games. The company claims this hacker's success in cracking Denuvo's security, which has been increasingly defeated this year, threatens the effectiveness of its DRM service for publishers and developers.
US court orders Redditor to pay Nintendo £3.4m over Switch piracy
A US District Judge has ordered Redditor James Williams, known as "Archbox" and a moderator for r/SwitchPirates, to pay Nintendo $4.5 million (£3.4 million) in damages for facilitating Nintendo Switch game piracy. The judgment includes $150,000 for each of the 30 pirated games, including The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Williams failed to respond to the lawsuit, leading to a default judgment and a permanent injunction against further distribution of pirated Nintendo content.
Nintendo of America awarded $4.5m in lawsuit from Redditor for pirating Switch hardware and software
Nintendo of America has been awarded $4.5 million in damages from Reddit user James C. Williams, also known as 'Archbox,' for copyright violations related to pirating Nintendo Switch hardware and software. Williams must disable all online shops offering pirated games and close social media accounts linked to piracy.
'One of the Very Few Games I'm Going to Be Buying': Control Resonant Has Leaked, But There's a Push Among Some Pirates to Pay For It Anyway
Despite Control Resonant leaking, some individuals within the piracy community are making an effort to pay for the game to support its developer, Remedy Entertainment. This unusual action highlights a desire among some to financially back developers even when obtaining games through unofficial channels.
Nintendo scores legal win against Switch pirates in Europe
Nintendo has secured a legal victory in Europe against distributors of the MIG Switch, a device used for pirating Nintendo Switch games. The District Court of The Hague ruled that sales of the MIG Switch are unlawful, ordering distributors to cease operations. Nintendo advises consumers to avoid unauthorized hardware and software to protect their gaming experience.
Nintendo picks up major legal victory against sale of Switch piracy devices
Nintendo has secured a legal victory against the sale of Switch piracy devices in Europe, with The District Court of The Hague ruling it unlawful to sell products like the MIG Switch. This ruling aims to protect Nintendo's intellectual property and support legitimate game developers by preventing the use of unauthorized game copies.
Nintendo continues fight against piracy wiping out 400+ Switch emulator repos in single day
Nintendo has taken down over 400 Nintendo Switch emulator repositories, including Suyu, Yuzu forks, and Skyline, as part of its ongoing efforts against piracy. The company filed multiple DMCA notices on GitHub to achieve these takedowns.
Malware Disguised as Leaked GTA 6 Copies Are Popping Up on Piracy Sites
Malware disguised as leaked copies of Grand Theft Auto 6 is appearing on piracy websites. Despite online claims, there is no downloadable or playable build of the game currently available on these sites.
‘Marvel Tokon’ Crack Arrives in 11 Days — and the Pirated Build Reportedly Runs Smoother
A DRM-free build of Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls has reportedly been cracked and released just 11 days after launch, with many users claiming the pirated version runs significantly smoother than the official PC release. Players have reported performance issues, crashes, and connectivity problems on the legitimate PC version, leading to speculation that the Digital Rights Management software is to blame. The cracked build allegedly bypasses shader preloading and offers a more stable frame rate, even on systems that exceed the recommended specifications.
The Quake shareware CD-ROM contained encrypted copies of every id Software game—and yes, it was cracked 39 days…
The shareware CD-ROM for id Software's Quake included encrypted copies of the company's entire game catalog, intended to be unlocked via phone purchase. However, just 39 days after its release, a tool called Quakecrk.zip emerged, allowing users to generate unlock codes for all included games, effectively enabling widespread piracy of id Software's back catalog.
"Just pirate it": Roguelike dev would rather you download its games illegally than buy from Steam code…
Indie developer Dicehit Games, creator of the roguelike Runeveil, has publicly stated they would rather players pirate their games than purchase them through unofficial key reseller websites. The studio explained that these sites often sell game keys that were initially provided for free to content creators, thus abusing developer goodwill and failing to generate revenue or content coverage.
Saturday Metaverse
The article discusses the implications of Grand Theft Auto 6's reported deal with Netflix, questioning whether an advertisement can be considered pirated. It also touches on sensitive information in 'no reply' emails.
GTA 6's Netflix deal forces us to ask: can you pirate an advertisement?
The article discusses the controversial decision for Grand Theft Auto 6's extended look trailer to debut exclusively on Netflix for six hours on August 27th. It questions the necessity of this deal, suggesting it's a monetization tactic that disrespects fans and potentially harms Take-Two's reputation, despite the game's anticipated success.
Quoteworthy
John Romero shared an anecdote about id Software selling empty Doom boxes to Taiwanese pirates to circumvent distribution issues, stating it was a form of distribution for them. Trent Reznor also commented on Doom's impact.
Doom creator id Software used Taiwanese pirates to help distribute the game, John Romero reveals
Co-founder of id Software, John Romero, revealed that the company collaborated with Taiwanese pirates to distribute the game Doom during the Shareware era. Instead of fighting piracy, id Software provided cheap copies to pirates to ensure widespread distribution in regions where they lacked a presence. This strategy helped establish the game's reach and was considered crucial for distribution.
