The long-standing DRM versus piracy conflict heats up as the release of the Hogwarts Legacy Empress crack is becoming imminent.
Hogwarts Legacy, the popular video game set in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, has been making headlines in recent months. Now, it seems that the game is once again in the spotlight, as it has become the target of the anti-DRM community.
Denuvo and Hogwarts Legacy
Before we dive into the controversy, it’s important to understand what DRM is and why it’s relevant to the story. DRM, or digital rights management, is a type of software designed to prevent piracy and cheating in video games.
Almost every game released today has some form of DRM protection. However, since the late ’80s, groups of hackers known as “crackers” have been working to dismantle these software barriers.
Enter Denuvo, an anti-piracy software that encrypts game files and verifies them occasionally. Denuvo was first introduced on FIFA 15 in 2014 and has since been licensed and revalidated over 350 million times.
However, as DRM software has become more widespread, so has the anti-DRM community.
Many gamers believe that DRM is ruining the industry and that it forces players to rent games rather than buy them. In their eyes, the right to pull back a game after its purchase remains in the hands of the makers rather than the players.
The Hogwarts Legacy Empress Crack
The anti-DRM community has a leading hero, a hacker known as Empress. She has been waging war against Denuvo and other DRM-protected games for several years.
Empress first gained notoriety in 2019 after cracking the anti-piracy measures in Red Dead Redemption 2, and since then, she has gone on to crack other high-profile games such as Mortal Kombat 11.
Recently, Empress announced on her Telegram channel that she is close to cracking Hogwarts Legacy ahead of schedule. This announcement has set the anti-DRM community abuzz with excitement.
Many fans of the Harry Potter series and Hogwarts Legacy have expressed their support for Empress. These anti-DRM fans have claimed that they would gladly use the hacked version of the game instead of paying for it.
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Empress and Denuvo Alerts
Denuvo Alerts is a Twitter account that shares news about games with Denuvo DRM integrated.
Recently, the account shared a Telegram message from Empress in which she claimed to be “doing great” in her attempts to crack Hogwarts Legacy.
This comes after previous messages in which Empress expressed frustration at the “thousands of new obstacles” brought in by a new version of Denuvo.
Who is Empress and Why Does She Want to Crack Hogwarts Legacy?
Empress is a hacker or cracker who works specifically against Denuvo and DRM-protected games. When asked why she started working as a cracker, she says it was due to a dream in 2014. She saw chains made of numbers wrapped around the Dark Souls 2 game.
Furthermore, she discovered what every number meant universally. According to her, she eventually reached the zone where she could see things with better clarity and, ultimately, the chains broke.
Ever since Empress has worked tirelessly as a cracker. She is arguably the most powerful breaker of DRM software in the world right now.
From Red Dead Redemption 2 to Mortal Kombat 11, no one has cracked more high-profile games than Empress.
In an interview with WIRED, she shared her aspirations, “I pledge to update any Denuvo games for those who care about it. I plan to focus only on Denuvo cracks and will start from the bottom to the hardest and most modern Denuvo builds.”
However, who truly is Empress? Nobody knows.
Some speculations claimed that Empress is a group of people, which she thoroughly refutes.
Aside from her chosen handle, the only puzzles of her identity are shared by her in the 2021 interview with WIRED, “I am 23 years old girl, and I am beautiful AS HELL. But I don’t care a single bit about how I look. I care only about what I do.”
Empress NFO File Comments
Usually, an NFO file is often included to provide additional “information” about the download. These files typically offer details on the installation and use of the crack. But sometimes these NFO files add additional unrelated comments by the cracker
Empress has become well-known for her unique NFOs. The information from these files can provide valuable insights into the DRM industry and game file structures. However, many users have commented that they can also be unpredictable read.
According to reports, some of the previous NFOs issued by Empress feature unrelated rants that many find excessive and highly offensive.
It is interesting to note that despite the controversial content in her NFOs, many users continue to partake in her approach to cracking.
The controversy surrounding Hogwarts Legacy
As we previously reported, Hogwarts Legacy has been embroiled in controversy due to the alleged transphobic views of its author, J.K. Rowling.
Many fans of the series have called for boycotts of the game and review bombings against its copyright. The game’s copyright provides all fees to go directly to J.K. Rowling.
Essentially, the author has been criticized for her negative views and hurtful comments against the transgender community. The Hogwarts Legacy Empress Crack against DRM is yet another big controversy in the making.
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7 comments
she just went on a wild anti-trans and anti-homosexual tirade via her telegram as well. yeesh – some of the things she says are particularly vile, not just run of the mill phobia.
Game journalists not even taking the opportunity to show the irony of EMPRESS an outspoken racist, transphobe and homophobe being given so much love for her crack. Also she said in 2021 she was 23 but her current telegram profile says she’s 22.
lol yeah some even accused her of doing this for anti-rowling reasons, but she’s all but praised rowling and her group otherwise.
Really doubt she’s either female nor young, more likely just protecting “her” identity.
We Will Know Soon
So nobody knows about Skidrow, Fotgirl and others?
So nobody knows about Skidrow, Fitgirl and others?
Knew she was Russian before Telegram was even mentioned lmao