Doom Eternal may be cracked on day-1, Bethesda added non-Denuvo version in Bethesda Store release

[kasper]

Okay everyone, I’m getting RAGE 2 vibes right now. As we’ve already reported, the Steam version of Doom Eternal uses the Denuvo anti-tamper tech. However, it appears that Bethesda

has done it again. Similarly to RAGE 2, there is a non-Denuvo executable file in its Bethesda Store version.

 

Now while this non-Denuvo executable file was available by default in RAGE 2, in Doom Eternal you’ll have to replace the default with the new one. This non-Denuvo executable file is located inside the “Doom Eternal/original” folder.

The Denuvo version of the Doom Eternal executable file is 450MB, whereas the non-Denuvo version is 67MB. According to reports, by replacing the files you can start and play the game’s single-player campaign mode.

Naturally, this opens up the doors to crackers who will now be able to crack the game on launch day. Thus, it remains to be seen whether Bethesda will remove Denuvo from the Steam version. Let’s not forget that this is exactly what happened with RAGE 2.

 

Source 

https://www.dsogaming.com/news/doom-eternal-may-be-cracked-on-day-1-as-bethesda-has-included-a-non-denuvo-version-in-its-bethesda-store-version/

[egoist]

Already out : DOOM.Eternal-NODRM

[Karlston]

Moved from General News.

 

(Gaming news is better here)

[Karlston]

Bethesda apparently broke its own Denuvo protection for Doom Eternal

Bethesda Launcher version included DRM-free executable in folder named "Original"

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When Bethesda announced that Doom Eternal would be using Denuvo protection for its digital rights management, industry watchers assumed it would buy the game at least a short period of retail availability without a piratable "cracked" version showing up on the Internet. When the game launched, though, users quickly discovered the Bethesda Launcher version apparently included a DRM-free copy of the game's executable sitting in plain sight amid the download package.

 

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.

These things happen

If this sounds like a surprising oversight for a major publisher like Bethesda to make, consider that last year's launch of Rage 2 apparently also included a DRM-free executable in the Bethesda Launcher version. The publisher officially removed Denuvo from the Steam version of that game just a few days later, perhaps realizing that the piracy crack genie was already out of the bottle (despite some reports to the contrary on other games, Ars testing on Arkham Knight didn't show any performance impact as the result of Denuvo implementation).

 

While Denuvo's brand of obfuscating DRM was once considered virtually crack-proof by the community, in recent years Denuvo-protected games have sometimes been cracked within hours of their release. In less extreme cases, Denuvo says it still considers even a few days of effective DRM protection to be valuable to its publisher customers, who are looking to protect their vital initial post-launch sales period from free, pirated competition.

 

Of course, none of that even matters if the publisher itself leaks the key to get past Denuvo's DRM. And while many are assuming this distribution was an accident, that's not completely clear at this point.

 

Already, some piracy-watching forum goers are crafting conspiracy theories about rogue Bethesda employees hiding the easily cracked executable in the Doom Eternal files as a guerrilla blow against DRM. Others are joking that Bethesda as a whole is now operating as a rogue cracking group. (A Bethesda representative was not immediately available to respond to a request for comment from Ars).

 

Regardless, the damage is done and a cracked, repackaged version of Doom Eternal is either currently in the wild or will be shortly. And this time, it seems, Bethesda only has itself to blame.

 

 

Source: Bethesda apparently broke its own Denuvo protection for Doom Eternal (Ars Technica)  

 

(To view the article's image gallery, please visit the above link)

[kasper]

DOOM Eternal-CODEX