Tue, Sep 15, 2009 | 17:07 BST

Eidos implements copyright protection on Batman: Arkham Asylum

batman-title-image

A reported bug over on the Batman: Arkham Asylum forums has led Eidos to reveal that there’s not an actual bug in the game, but a code to make the game virtually unplayable if the copy has been pirated.

Apparently, a user complained that the glide function within the game – which is extremely important – fails to function.

“When I…jump from one platform to another, Batman tries to open his wings again and again instead of gliding,” the user wrote.

“It’s not a bug in the game’s code, it’s a bug in your moral code,” replied the Eidos community manager, who explained that the glide function was disabled in pirated versions to “catch out people who try and download cracked versions of the game for free”.

Adding insult to injury was the fact that the game had not even hit shelves yet when the gamer complained on the forums.

Via BBC News.

Thanks, Roybott.

17 comments

Hunam
15/09/09, 5:08 pm

C&P from the news thread:

It’s all fun and games till it actually fucks up a legitimate buyers game, which it always does in the end.

Gekidami
15/09/09, 5:09 pm

But wait, how is this even possible? Did Eidos put out bugged versions of the games themselves on to torrent sites?

Eregol
15/09/09, 5:22 pm

Pft

I sent you an e-mail about this on wednesday last week, and only now do you report it because BBC have reported on it?

Lols.

Exact date and time Wed 09/09/09 at 19:39 BST

satsugai
15/09/09, 5:24 pm

@Geki
Same way rockstar did it with GTA IV I guess, however they did it. *shrugs*

Stephany Nunneley
15/09/09, 5:34 pm

Eregol, which mail did you send it to? Send us news is so full of spam, it’s hard to see legit emails in it.

freedoms_stain
15/09/09, 6:16 pm

this is DRM I can live with.

Although I’d like to know how it works, like if I no CD crack my legitimate copy will that trigger the bug?

And lol at the dumb ass noob who went to Eidos support forums complaining about bugs in his pirate copy.

Phoenixblight
15/09/09, 6:55 pm

Damn that is very sneaky and smart.

Redh3lix
15/09/09, 7:01 pm

Hahahaa! Well played Eidos!

What an idiot for posting such an error when the game wasn’t even released

endgame
15/09/09, 7:53 pm

too right Redh3lix! u know what’s the difference between a pirate and a f**king whiner/loser? the first one is smart enough not to get cought* (*hmmm, how do u spell this word?).

#10

Psychotext
15/09/09, 7:58 pm

“caught”

#11

Gamoc
15/09/09, 8:01 pm

It’s spelt ‘caught’. And ‘fucking’ doesn’t have any stars in it.

Anyway, wow, you were late on this, but it’s excellent DRM. I’m really curious as to how they did it, too. Very clever.

#12

Eregol
15/09/09, 8:16 pm

@ Stephen Nunneley

I sent it to the ‘Send us news’ link unfortunately. If you get too much spam why don’t you put it into a web form to fill in with a validation code rather than an e-mail?

You should head over to the forums. The mods are having a great time of it.

#13

Stephany Nunneley
15/09/09, 8:18 pm

Sometimes it can have stars in it Gamoc.

#14

Mike
15/09/09, 9:10 pm

Story of the day, this.

Totally and utterly owned.

#15

Gamoc
15/09/09, 10:20 pm

More like the story of last Wednesday, really.

#16