Starfield Reportedly Cracked by RUNE Ahead of Launch
Starfield, Bethesda’s ambitious interplanetary RPG, has allegedly been cracked ahead of launch, and reports have emerged citing how the game was pirated even before it entered early access.
The interesting bit is that the game had no DRM protection and relied solely on Steam for security. The news broke on Reddit earlier today, with the hacking group known as RUNE taking credit for the crack.
What’s intriguing is that the crack weighs in at around 90GB, and it includes not only the game but also the DLSS and XeSS upscalers. The Reddit post advises blocking the game’s internet access through a firewall, effectively preventing it from connecting online.
While the game is available for free to download illegally, there’s no point in doing so, as it will be available on Xbox Game Pass on September 6th, the day of its release. Game Pass is an affordable way to play Starfield and hundreds of other games from Xbox’s library.
In addition to this, Starfield is Bethesda’s first new IP in over 25 years, and probably the most awaited game at this time. For something like this to be cracked before launch will sure be a major blow to the studios behind development, and to Microsoft. Not to mention how ethically incorrect the whole thing is.
For reference, roughly eight years of development have gone into Starfield, and it’s clear that a lot of hard work has been put into it. The game’s release was delayed twice, first in 2022 and again this year, but unfortunately, it’s been cracked just days before launch.
After the crack went live, a debate sprung up on social media where people were of differing opinions, with some in favor of the crack citing high pricing (what about Game Pass though), and some on the opposing spectrum talking about how so much effort was poured in the game.
Whatever the case is, this move will surely affect the sales figures for the game, but will also expose it to a wider audience willing to experience Bethesda’s interplanetary universe. This is all we know for now, but rest assured that we will keep you updated as new information becomes available.
