Somehow, ARC Raiders got cracked, and though Embark patched it, the threat still looms

Live-service games have long eluded the threat of piracy due to their constant internet requirements and server-side checks used to verify any given copy. However, modern problems require modern solutions, which led a group of pirates to concoct a bypass and start playing ARC Raiders for free.

The topic came to broader public attention with a Jan. 13 Reddit thread that outlined that ARC Raiders had indeed been cracked. To put it more accurately, the game’s online checks and backend copy verification methods had been bypassed, and no actual “crack” had been made at the time. This allowed pirates to hop into the game free of charge, and they did so for several days, with the crack being patched out (with no actual mention of it from Embark) by Jan. 14.

I read this today and went into the thick of it, perusing a well-known Russia-based forum for cracked games (which I won’t link or mention) and looking up ARC Raiders on it. From what I could see, a warez pirate called osb79 was responsible for making and distributing the crack among forum users, as is attested by this CrackWatch post (a subreddit dedicated to highlighting new cracks for popular games).

On the forum, users shared with each other new versions of ARC Raiders whenever a patch came out, and when things went wrong, they figured out it was the Reddit user who caused their ultimate demise. Calling him a “party pooper,” forum users were entirely blocked from playing ARC Raiders, saying the fun was “over,” at least for the time being.

Further replies to the ARC Raiders thread on the forum seem to have been suspended, though this could also be a site-wide blockage that may have been imposed amid increased attention after the ARC Raiders ordeal.

However, these folks aren’t known for giving up. I think they’ll keep trying to bypass the game and ultimately crack it, even if that means playing on separate, private servers among themselves. The biggest issue with this bypass was that pirated copies could be used to play against legitimate players, potentially creating an environment for rampant cheating with no real consequences, even if bans were issued.

Forum users acknowledged this, saying they understood why people were angered by this bypass, since most of them had forked over $40 and now had their fun ruined by those who never paid a dime.

As I’ve said, this forum doesn’t let go lightly. There are games on there that they’ve been trying to crack for over a decade by now, figuring out new ways to bypass restrictions or crack at least some parts of those titles that they cannot break through in full, i.e., by unlocking DLCs on legit copies, among other things.

Recently, a new pirate group has appeared that’s been cracking Denuvo-protected games every couple of weeks or so, breaking a years-long stasis in piracy induced precisely by that copy protection mechanism. With growing skill and numbers due to global economic factors, we can only expect the pirates to keep trying to bypass and break through games on the market, and ARC Raiders should guard itself well against any such attempts.

While cracking single-player games is one thing and cannot hurt the broader community, cracking into a live-service game for free and then using nefarious means to gain gameplay advantages is on a whole new level.

But I guess this is just a sign of the times.

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Earth of Oryn could become the perfect January launch for those who are into city-building and resource management titles, and its release is almost here.

Originally meant for launch last year, we have had to wait till the first month of January. Earth of Oryn will be released exclusively on Steam, and this guide will help you keep track of the upcoming release.

Earth of Oryn release countdown

Earth of Oryn will be going live globally on Jan. 19. It’s unlikely that there will be any more delays at this late stage, and the following countdown will expire once the game goes live.

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The countdown is based on the following timings.

• 8am PT
• 10am CT
• 11am ET
• 4pm UTC
• 5pm CET

You can wishlist Earth of Oryn as of writing. There’s no pre-purchase, so we will have to wait for the launch to go live before we can purchase. The timings mentioned here are based on the information available on SteamDB.

What to expect from Earth of Oryn

Earth of Oryn puts you in charge of starting a new town in Brandford and building it one block at a time. Place houses, roads, workshops, and markets for your townsfolk to survive and thrive. As your town expands, so will its population.

With a modular building system, you’ll be able to give a personal touch to your base. There are research and new technologies available for you to discover on your journey. From the town design to managing its people and resources, you’ll need to do it all. More features are expected to be added later down the line as Earth of Oryn spends more months in early access.

If you want to check it out, there’s a free demo currently available on Steam. While it’s very early access, the last time I played, it will undoubtedly give you a good overview of what to expect.

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