Hi-Fi Rush finally cracked by video game pirates

Since its shadow drops in 2023 and through the studio's closure by Microsoft a year later in 2024, all the way through the acquisition of Krafton, Tango Gameworks Hi-Fi Rush has maintained strict Denuvo anti-piracy measures.

Well, so much for that.

It's worth noting that most games end up dropping their Denuvo subscriptions a year after launch, largely due to how expensive things are. Per Amazon Web Services, it's $25,000 per month plus $0.50 cents per activation.

For a franchise that seemingly has no future, it was surprising that things lasted this long.

In an announcement on social media, Hi-Fi Rush had its Denuvo technology removed, and players who wish to continue playing the game must update their game by January 15th. A separate, non-Denuvo form of copy protection will remain in the game, but that somehow didn't stop the game from being cracked right after.

As first shared on Reddit, Hi-Fi Rush is now available on the underside of the Internet, marking yet another game that has managed to make its way via pirates in the past 11 months alone.

It's unclear what form of copy protection was implemented in Denuvo's place, but it was apparently of little use in the end. That said, it seems Krafton has its own reasons for wanting to get rid of Denuvo, and it's not cost related.

Family

The gaming industry continues to wonder what is the point of its own existence

While many game cancellations are cruel, Tango Gameworks being killed off after Hi-Fi Rush doesn't even make sense.

Gamers would rather not deal with Denuvo, but it is still used

In a statement shared on its website, the removal of Denuvo was “intended to provide a more stable and efficient service environment.” It's a pretty interesting admission, one that mamy gamers often find the most frustrating part of Denuvo, its impact on PC performance.

“We truly appreciate all players who continue to support the game through legitimate use,” the statement concluded.

Ouch. It seems the powers that be clearly knew this would be the end result, even after anti-tampering features remained part of the game, just not at the Denuvo level.

Well, so much for them too.