Piracy is a common trend that has persisted in the gaming industry for nearly its entire lifespan. However, pirated games are criticized as developers and publishers work hard on each new title.
Studios have implemented measures like Denuvo DRM to combat piracy, showing the industry’s distaste for the practice. However, a new report has brought attention to a scenario where Rockstar Games benefitted from the practice.
According to a report, Rockstar sold pirated copies of Midnight Club 2 on Steam.
Why it matters: This example has been seen as hypocrisy by Rockstar Games since the studio is more than capable of porting different games between platforms.
OH FOR CHRIST'S SAKE https://t.co/y9jLN61VOf pic.twitter.com/vx8yDcz1B3
— Silent (@__silent_) September 3, 2023
A modder named Silent revealed that the Steam version of Midnight Club 2 is the same version Razor 1911 cracked in 2003. Despite the industry’s opinions on piracy, Rockstar Games went ahead and sold this version of Steam.
Silent has used the HEX Editor, revealing that Midnight Club on Steam has a Razor 1911 signature. This report confirms that Rockstar was indeed selling the game cracked by Razor 1911.
Midnight Club 2 is no longer on Steam, as Rockstar Games stopped selling it in 2021. While the studio is no longer selling a cracked version of its game, this does not change the fact that it was sold for several years.
Surprisingly, this is not the first time the studio has resorted to this method for many of its older games. Reports claim the studio was caught doing the same thing with games like Max Payne 2.
Following the discovery, many have been quick to criticize Rockstar Games, pointing to the hypocrisy of game publishers that are quick to combat piracy but also benefit from it when possible.
Developers spent countless hours for several years to create games. Therefore, it is understandable when they oppose practices like piracy in the gaming industry that undermine their work.
However, Rockstar Games’ reliance on a pirated version is shocking, considering its parent company, Take-Two, is not fond of basic practices like mod projects that cannot be considered nearly as bad as piracy.
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