Denuvo Sues Reddit Cracker “voices38” in First US Lawsuit — Pirate Isn’t Worried

Anti-piracy software developer Denuvo has filed a lawsuit against a prolific video game pirate known online only as “voices38,” marking the first time the company has pursued a cracker through legal action in the United States. The suit was lodged on Monday in the U.S. Northern District Court of California, where Denuvo accuses the hacker of bypassing its anti-tamper technology across more than two dozen PC titles, including Doom: The Dark Ages, Resident Evil Requiem, and Hogwarts Legacy. The case centers on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s anti-circumvention provision, and while Denuvo says it is being financially harmed by the piracy, the defendant has responded with a calm message that has little fear in it.

The dispute traces back to nearly a year of activity on Reddit, where voices38 has shared cracked versions of games protected by Denuvo’s DRM. According to court documents obtained by TorrentFreak, the Austrian-based company characterizes the pirate as a dedicated reverse engineer whose work directly undermines its product. The complaint lists 26 titles, spanning racing, role-playing, and sports franchises, and notably excludes the game publishers themselves — Denuvo cannot pursue copyright infringement because it does not own the rights to any of the games in question.

A Business Model Built on Selling DRM

Denuvo’s legal strategy reflects its core commercial identity. The company does not develop games; it sells anti-tamper software to studios and publishers who want to deter unauthorized downloads. Because it is the vendor of the protection rather than the owner of the intellectual property, Denuvo relies on the DMCA to file anti-circumvention suits, arguing that piracy damages its own business. The complaint makes that harm explicit, framing voices38’s actions as the removal of protections that let copyright owners control access to their work.

“Defendant is a computer hacker who is focused on reverse engineering, hacking, or ‘cracking’ video games employing Denuvo’s Anti-Tamper product. Defendant has bypassed DRM restrictions in copyrighted works, removing protections that allow copyright owners to restrict who may access their works, and allowing for pirated versions of those copyrighted works.”

Denuvo, court documents obtained by TorrentFreak

The full roster of cracked titles Denuvo names in the complaint includes Need for Speed Heat, EA Sports FIFA 20, Star Wars: Squadrons, Dead Space (Remake), Mafia: Old Country, Total War: Three Kingdoms, Shining Resonance Refrain, PES 2020, Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Anno 1800, Sonic Frontiers, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Pragmata, Black Myth Wukong, Stellar Blade, and 007 First Light.

The Pirate’s Unbothered Reply

When confronted with the lawsuit, voices38 did not issue a lengthy legal defense or a public apology. Instead, the cracker posted a terse reply on Reddit that reads: “All is fine. Everything will continue as normal.” The comment quickly gathered roughly 7,000 upvotes, signaling a community that largely sides with the pirate over the DRM vendor.

The reaction underscores a broader frustration among PC players with Denuvo’s track record. The company’s software has long been accused of slowing down PC games, blocking legitimate owners from accessing their purchases, and causing other performance headaches. For many gamers, the lawsuit reads less like a victory for developers and more like a corporate attempt to enforce restrictions that the community has repeatedly resisted.

Looking Ahead

Whether Denuvo’s suit will hold up in court remains uncertain, particularly given that the game publishers themselves are not parties to the case. The ruling will likely turn on how courts interpret the DMCA’s anti-circumvention provisions and whether a DRM vendor can demonstrate concrete harm without owning the underlying copyrights. For voices38, the legal threat appears to be more of a formality than an obstacle — the pirate’s own words suggest that cracked versions of the affected titles will keep circulating regardless of the outcome.

As this first American chapter of the Denuvo-versus-pirate saga unfolds, the case may well set a precedent for how DRM enforcement plays out in U.S. courts. Until then, the message from the defendant is clear: the fighting is far from over, and more cracked games are expected to follow.