GTA IV PC Comes With a Free Rootkit… Sorry, SecuROM
But don’t get carried away.
Often, the mere mention of SecuROM causes gamers to proclaim that THIS is exactly why they refuse to pay money for games, instead leaching off the developers, publishers and other paying gamers. Those people can fuck off. If you think like that, you’re wrong. Buy it retail, then pirate a copy. Everybody wins.
OK, now I’ve gotten that out the way, it looks like GTA IV’s PC outing will be accompanied by that loveable piece of malware, the SecuROM rootkit. But all is not bad news. In an interview with IGN, Rockstar confirmed several rather enjoyable facts.
GTA IV PC uses SecuROM for protecting our EXE until street date has passed, to ensure the retail disk is in the computer drive, and is used for Product Activation of the title. Product Activation is a one time only online authentication when installing the game. GTA IV has no install limits for the retail disc version of the game, and that version can be installed on an unlimited number of PCs by the retail disk owner.
No install limits? Ability to install on any machine? And this is a PC game!? Granted, they also confirmed that SecuROM will steal your information run whenever GTA IV runs, but at no other time. Not that you can easily confirm this though due to SecuROM being one sneaky piece of software.
Oh, and there currently isn’t a way to easily remove SecuROM completely from your PC. Though Rockstar are “working with SecuROM to post information on our support pages regarding how to remove these inactive traces of the program for users who wish to do so”.
IGN also directly asked about the simple fact that even a minor utterance of “SecuROM” is met with very harsh criticism around the tubes.
IGN: The SecuROM name alone instantly scares away so many vocal online consumers such as me, why exactly has Rockstar decided to use it as well? I swore I’d NEVER buy ANY game with SecuROM, ever, based on principal. What makes GTA IV any different?
Rockstar: SecuROM offers a diverse toolset to publishers to help safeguard their IP and interests. Vocal ‘board posters’ seem to be most down on the SecuROM feature that limits the number of installations. But this SecuROM functionality is really nothing different than what iTunes has used for years now, which is used in over 500 millions files purchased from iTunes store.
We recognize that the installation limits have been a major issue, so we have not limited the number of installations for the retail disk version of GTA IV PC. The only installation limits will be the ones used by our digital distribution partners. If users are concerned about install limits, they should buy the retail disk version of the game.
So, it’s shit, but not completly shit.
News Tags: DRM, GTA IV, IGN, Rockstar, SecuROM
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Anyone that downloads an illegal hacked copy of a game because it has security measures to prevent are evil bastards. Using the excuse ” I hate SecuROMS ” and such is just a way to make you feel good about yourself as ya steal. If people wouldn’t steal these games in the first place, there would be no need for SecuROMS.
Please. Think about it.
This instance seems a fair use of SecuROM.
@Danshir: First off, I want to make it clear that we’re on the same side. I hate game piracy; it’s clearly killing off the PC market leaving most of the great games on inferior consoles. But I still need to pick one nit re the purpose of SecuROM.
Copy protection, SecuROM included, is always cracked. Always, and usually before release. It does nothing to stop pirates, as versions released to the usual channels come pre-cracked or bundled with easy-to-install cracks. Trying to stop piracy with activation and a CD check is like trying to stop a car thief with a strongly-worded note.
That leaves two logical reasons for copy protection to exist on the PC:
1. Traditional copy protection like in GTA IV is mostly so the developers can appear to be “doing something” about piracy. Stockholders can be awfully skittish investing in a product that can be had for free. So while pirates are the reason CD checks exist, they certainly don’t fill any real “need,” they simply appear to, enough for management and the stockholders to be appeased.
2. Modern limited-activation copy protection like in recent EA games effectively cuts off the lucrative-for-retail, worthless-for-developers used-game market. A market about which EA has expressed concern. Coincidentally, that was around the time Spore was released a week or so after hitting the pirate circuit.
Wrong. You’re still rewarding bad behavior by buying it. I can understand the whole “supporting the developers” argument, but at the end of the day, you’ve still bought malware, and whoever published it won’t get any hints. In the case of SecuROM and my opinion, the point of downloading is specifically to punish a publisher for releasing a rootkit as part of their game. No sane gamer or computer geek would ever willingly install a rootkit like that, let alone without being told it’s installing. As long as people pay for games with SecuROM, the publishers who use it won’t get the hint. I bought every Command & Conquer game made, because they’re all awesome, but I refused to buy Red Alert 3 simply because of SecuROM. I also refused to buy Spore. I will not buy another game that comes packaged with little Mr. Rootkit. And that shall be my punishment to the gaming industry for being pricks. One voice may not be a lot, but with lots of people who all have the same mindset doing the same thing, sales of SecuROM-loaded games are going to plummet. All we can do is hope they get the fucking hint and stop using copy protection that affects ONLY the legitimate buyer if it affects anyone, and installs rootkits that can’t be uninstalled without telling the user. That’s a violation of trust, and even if you buy and download it, they don’t learn anything from it. You reward bad behavior.
Everybody wins? Your logic is laughable, accepting the fact you have to use illegal cracking groups to get proper use out of your product is ridiculous. Not to mention you can’t if you want to play it online
We’re being treated as second rate customers at every turn. I will not reward such behavior, it’s bad enough we get our games months upon months late. Invasive DRM is the last straw
Yeah, I was wrong. If you dont like DRM, but still like the game, you should totaly not pay for it.
It’s like when I go shopping, if I want the product but don’t like something about the shop, I’ll just take it and not pay. That’s fair.