Ubisoft “always on” DRM may be cracked for good

Ubisoft continues to rile gamers up with the introduction of its “always on” digital rights management feature, though “SkidRow” hackers are now reporting they’re able to circumvent the DRM entirely.

The .exe hack offered by Skid Row now removes all of the DRM, and interested gamers only need to download the new executable file.

The new .exe file and video game crack began circulating earlier in the week, along with a “readme” file that discusses the crack and how it is protected against other hacker groups and Ubisoft.  Furthermore, the group also “thanked” Ubisoft for the “challenge” of developing the DRM crack.

“Thank you Ubisoft, this was quite a challenge for us, but nothing stops the leading force from doing what we do,” the ReadMe notes.  “Next time focus on the game and not on the DRM.  It was probably horrible for all legit users.  We just make their lives easier.”

Hacker groups and skilled programmers have swarmed to the aid of gamers, with a different group claiming they were able to crack Silent Hunter 5’s DRM last month.  However, Ubisoft denied all reports that DRM for Silent Hunter 5 was compromised by hackers — and the battle continues.

If true, gamers will no longer have to remain online so the always on DRM can phone home.  Other cracks have been offered, but this one is by far the most complete crack made available.

We covered the heavy demand Ubisoft’s servers saw due to the constant online authentication — which led to unplayable games over one weekend.  Ubisoft first rolled out the controversial DRM in Assassin’s Creed II, but it was also tested on Silent Hunter 5 before Ubisoft decided to offer it across the board.