Mortal Kombat is 1 of 6 Denuvo games cracked in 24 hours, as piracy jeopardizes DRM

The pace at which Denuvo games have their protection removed keeps accelerating. In about 24 hours, voices38 released 5 titles, headlined by Star Wars Outlaws, Persona 3 Reload, and Mortal Kombat 1. To make matters worse for Irdeto’s DRM, another hacker has returned to join the piracy efforts.

The hit list

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Metal Gear Solid V were among the other victims surfacing on September 5th and 6th. However, as the 6th game, Far Cry 5 may be the most significant addition, since 0xZeOn is responsible. Previously, pirates had relied nearly exclusively on voices38 to disable the anti-tamper checks.

0xZeOn compiled a beta crack for Dead Space in 2023 and developed fixes for existing releases. Even so, the hacker wasn't as serious a threat to Irdeto. Despite progress, the process remains technical and time-consuming. Multiple people committed to the task could defeat new Denuvo games even faster.

None of the recently affected titles debuted on Steam or competing marketplaces in 2026, with Mortal Kombat 1 a 2023 product. A ScienceDirect study showed that piracy has the greatest impact in the first weeks following launch. This period is when a new arrival typically generates the most sales. Some publishers, like Square Enix, often disable the DRM after 6 months.

Why Denuvo is in danger

On the other hand, voices38 has scored quick victories over high-profile AAA targets. Capcom’s Pragmata took the individual around a month, but LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight was particularly surprising. The TT Games project was barely live on Steam before seeing its Denuvo protection overcome.

The DRM’s maker is also concerned about the hypervisor bypass that works with most Denuvo games. Compared to the preferable option, it circumvents rather than removes the anti-tamper software. Still, the bypass requires turning off certain Windows security settings.

Signs suggest voice38 has refined their toolkit, enabling a more universal approach to new releases. Without a countermeasure, publishers could eventually decide not to use the DRM at all. Of course, some players aren’t willing to risk the legal consequences of downloading software they don’t own. Many games also depend on online features that may be unavailable after hacks.