Control patched to add always-online DRM eight weeks after it’s already been cracked

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UPDATE: Remedy has rolled back the update for Control which added DRM to the PC version. Control on PC has now reverted to version 1.03 for the time being, removing the always-online DRM feature added in update 1.04.

In a statement, Remedy Entertainment admitted the blame lay with itself rather than the Epic Games Store, and this was a move designed with the intention of validating ownership of future DLC expansions.

“We apologise for the current issues with Control on the Epic Games Store caused by the latest update”, wrote Remedy.

“The intent behind using the EGS launcher was to validate future paid expansions, not to force you to play online or to remove Steam controller support. 

“As an immediate fix, we are rolling Control back to the previous version on the Epic Games Store ASAP. 

“We will restore the update with the Photo Mode again as soon as we can fix the issues that came up.

“We will have more information to share as soon as we sort this out. No need to blame Epic for our mistakes. Sorry!”

All’s well that ends well then and Remedy is at least aware of the issues surrounding always-online DRM and is prepared to take steps to prevent this.

Original Story: 20-Oct-2019 – Control patched to add always-online DRM eight weeks after it’s already been cracked

Sometimes we as humans are guilty of trying to look for order where there is none. The universe is chaos, as ably demonstrated by Remedy Entertainment patching Control two months after its launch to add in DRM protection measures.

Let’s just pick through this one for a moment. Control launched on PC on August 27th, 2019, exclusively through the Epic Games Store. It used the standard Epic Games Store DRM protection and it was cracked and available on torrent networks on its day of launch.

Now Control has been updated to version 1.04 and this latest update adds a new layer of DRM to Control which requires a permanent internet connection to play. You also have to boot the game through the Epic Games Store launcher rather than directly through its executable, which used to allow for offline mode.

It’s perfectly understandable why Remedy or publisher 505 Games would want Control to have DRM protection to prevent piracy. What we cannot understand is why they would add it to Control when the game has been easily accessible on torrent networks for two months. The horse has bolted, why are you locking the game? The only thing this does is make playing Control more annoying for legitimate customers. There’s not really any logical explanation for such a move.

Anyway, if you happen to own Control on PC then you’re probably going to want to avoid updating to version 1.04 if you can. This patch does include the Photo Mode as well as a variety of general bug fixes and progression tweaks but if you can live them without them, then it’s probably best to keep Control playable offline.

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