14 DAY TRIAL // One of the reasons Microsoft is pushing so aggressively for developers to bring their apps and games to the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 is that with the UWP approach, they can target more than one platform at the same time, including PCs, mobile phones, tablets, Xbox, and HoloLens.
But at the same time, Microsoft also gets more control over these titles, the company also receives a share of the sales, and last but not least, better security is guaranteed to users. Plus, the Microsoft Store prevents piracy, a thing that in the past proved to be a serious issue for Microsoft.
Until today, that is, as scene cracking group CODEX managed to bypass not one, not two, but five different layers of DRM to finally crack Zoo Tycoon Ultimate Animal Collection. MSStore, UWP, EAppX, XBLive, and Arxan have all been hacked to make the game work.
“Sorry hackers, game over”
Even though the game itself might not be one of your favorites, it’s the beginning of what could be a longer series of cracked UWP games.
As TorrentFreak reports, CODEX specifically mentions that the game should not be allowed to connect to the Internet, and blocking its process in the firewall is a must.
Funny enough, Arxan previously said that cracking titles protected by their system was impossible, offering a statement that now really sounds ridiculous.
“Arxan uses code protection against reverse-engineering, key and data protection to secure servers and fortification of game logic to stop the bad guys from tampering. Sorry hackers, game over.”
Microsoft hasn’t yet offered a statement on this, but it’ll be interesting to see how the company tackles the issue of piracy expanding to its controlled Microsoft Store. The company is working hard to bring more top titles to the Store, and people close to the matter said the firm was even looking into some huge acquisitions, including a possible takeover of Electronic Arts.