Denuvo has launched legal action against a prolific PC game cracker known online as “voices38”, who has spent almost a year sharing cracked games through Reddit. The company wants to stop the activity, while a confident response from the accused suggests more releases may be planned.
As reported by TorrentFreak, Denuvo filed the case in the U.S. Northern District Court of California on Monday. The Austrian anti-piracy business alleges that voices38 bypassed or tampered with its Anti-Tamper technology in more than two dozen games, including Doom: The Dark Ages, Resident Evil Requiem and Hogwarts Legacy.
Denuvo is pursuing the case under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s anti-circumvention provisions. Its court filing describes the defendant as a hacker focused on reverse-engineering and cracking games protected by Denuvo, allegedly removing access controls so unauthorised copies could be distributed.
In a Reddit response, voices38 replied on Reddit with a short reassurance: “All is fine. Everything will continue as normal.” The comment reportedly received 7,000 upvotes.
Why Denuvo is bringing the case
Denuvo does not own the copyright in the games named in the lawsuit, meaning it is not suing for copyright infringement on behalf of those publishers. However, the DMCA can allow a business affected by anti-circumvention activity to bring a claim. Denuvo argues that its business is directly harmed because it sells DRM designed to prevent unauthorised access to games.
None of the publishers or companies that own the listed games has joined Denuvo as a plaintiff in this case.
The games named in the lawsuit
Denuvo says voices38 cracked the following 26 games:
- Need for Speed Heat
- EA Sports FIFA 20
- Star Wars: Squadrons
- Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered
- EA Sports FIFA 21
- Hi-Fi Rush
- F1 2021
- Dead Space (Remake)
- Doom: The Dark Ages
- Mafia: Old Country
- LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Total War: Three Kingdoms
- Starlink: Battle for Atlas
- Shining Resonance Refrain
- PES 2020
- Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
- Anno 1800
- Sonic Frontiers
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage
- Pragmata
- Resident Evil Requiem
- Black Myth Wukong
- Stellar Blade
- 007 First Light
This is reportedly the first time Denuvo has taken a U.S. pirate or cracker to court through a lawsuit.
Identifying the person behind voices38
Denuvo has not yet confirmed the real identity of voices38. The company says it has identified several online aliases that may be connected to the account, including seven Steam profiles.
Its next step may involve subpoenas directed at Valve, Reddit and other online services. Denuvo is seeking an injunction that would prevent the defendant from bypassing or interfering with Denuvo-protected games in the future.
The wider DRM debate
The case is unlikely to attract universal support for Denuvo. Critics have accused its anti-piracy software of affecting PC performance, preventing legitimate purchasers from accessing games and causing other annoying headaches.
For arcade enthusiasts, the dispute is another reminder that ownership, access and preservation can become complicated when software protections are involved. Our Arcade Blog covers more gaming and arcade-industry news, while the Arcade Machine Buying Guide can help readers compare hardware for a dedicated games room. Those planning a home setup can also browse arcade machines.
Leave a Reply