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[UPDATE] Ubisoft's DRM already cracked
Thu, 4th Mar 2010
FYI, this story is more than a year old

The much-discussed Digital Rights Management (DRM) that Ubisoft is implementing for its future PC titles has already been cracked for the first release to feature it. There are reports that pirated versions of Silent Hunter 5 are now available to download with a crack that allows players to bypass the DRM.

The DRM would require any legitimate owners of PC versions of Ubisoft titles to maintain an internet connection in order to play the game. It’s a move that has many gamers up in arms as they feel they shouldn’t have to be connected to the internet in order to play their PC titles. Also, the relative unreliability of the internet might render gamers incapable of playing their games more than they might like.

However, reports indicate that a simple crack file can be used with illegitimate copies of Silent Hunter 5 that allows the game to be played without an internet connection. The pirates warn, however, that players should not launch the Ubisoft Launcher, or they can simply block any connection to the internet.

The PC version of Assassin’s Creed II is the next Ubisoft title scheduled to implement the DRM.

UPDATE - 9.13am, March 5: Ubisoft has since hit back, claiming that the rumours that the entirety of Silent Hunter 5 has been cracked are false. "You have probably seen rumors on the web that Assassin's Creed II and Silent Hunter 5 have been cracked," said Ubisoft to CVG. " "Please know that this rumor is false and while a pirated version may seem to be complete at start up, any gamer who downloads and plays a cracked version will find that their version is not complete."