Gamertell

Well, the score is now Square Enix: 0, Hackers: 2. Square Enix has attempted to put copyright protection in its DS games, first in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, and now in the Japanese version of Chrono Trigger DS. Chrono Trigger is scheduled to debut in Japan on November 20, 2008, but already the rom of the game has been leaked online.

Initially, pirates were unable to play the Chrono Trigger rom though, due to Square Enix copyright protection that would make the game glitchy or crash. Not to be deterred, some adept hackers created a code which allows the game to run normally. Two codes were created, one for M3 Real flashcarts and one for general flashcarts, to allow pirates to play undisturbed.

Its disappointing to see protection broken so quickly…

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Midway was recently added to the list game-related companies reporting profit losses. Following suit with companies including Sony, Midway, the Chicago-based gaming giant behind Mortal Kombat, Area 51 and Unreal Tournament, has been losing money, too…

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In May 2008, Crytek announced that it will be abandoning PC exclusivity due to problems with pirated copies of Crysis. Now, Ubisoft Shanghai creative director Michael de Plater revealed to Videogaming247 reasons why the copany won’t bring the anticipated EndWar to the PC.

Ubisoft has been having such big problems with piracy of Assassin’s Creed that they sued the disc’s manufacturers, Optical Experts Manufacturing. This is because the PC-version was leaked to the public two months before the…

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In a move akin to the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates “Thank you for playing!!“ moogle, Nintendo’s latest DS game, Daigasso! Band Brothers DX is also proving to be quite the pirate deterrent. The game refuses to run in many cases, or refuses to allow pirates access to the 200 songs available through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Way to go Nintendo (even if this was unintentional)!

According to information and reports from GBA Temp, this is due to a new save type being used for Daigasso! Band Brothers DX. Apparently, all DS games use 512kb saves, except for Daigasso! DX, which uses a 1mb save. Pirates who download the rom from online and attempt to play will be met with an error screen (serves them right).

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Nintendo has launched a crusade against video-game piracy around the world, working closely with local authorities in piracy hotbeds. Nintendo’s anti-piracy activism has accounted for millions of seized counterfeit Nintendo products. However, it is interested in fighting all types of piracy, it seems, and has been cooperating with Pokemon USA to stall the production and sale of fake Pokemon trading cards…

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Nintendo might be winning the console war but it has another front to fight on. It has long been battling game pirates around the world, working closely with local authorities to clamp down on pirates in several countries including Mexico and China.

So when the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) submitted a “Special 301” filing with the US Trade Representatives regarding videogame piracy around the world, Nintendo just had to comment on it, out of its sheer repugnance for piracy.

The console manufacturer wants…

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In the old days a pirate was a seafaring thief who committed his crime at sea and at times on the shore, the first known acts of piracy took place in the 13th century B.C., but today modern day pirates sail the digital seas on the internet and siphoning the revenues of hardworking corporations through counterfeit products.

The hunt for modern day pirates live on and with the rise in demand for certain videogames and gaming consoles, these pirates ready their vessels for the opportunity to offer their counterfeit consoles and games to those consumers desperate enough to purchase the product as a substitute for the real deal.

More recently, a modern day pirate was caught in Canada selling counterfeit Xbox 360 and modified PlayStation 2 consoles as well as the games for the systems, according to a City of Richmond, BC news release.

According to the release, store owner and operator Chi Hong “Terry” Wong appeared in court on November 5, 2007 to answer the charges made against him on December 14, 2006 when the RCMP Economic and Computer Crime Unit received a search warrant to investigate Wong’s store Toy Revenge Hobbies and Entertainment Ltd., where the unit seized numerous modified gaming consoles, the equipment used for modifying the consoles and numerous counterfeit games.

The crack down on video game piracy in Canada actually started two years ago by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada who hired private investigators to search for businesses engaging in piracy and according to Danielle Parr, executive director of the Entertainment Software Association of Canada, in an interview with the local Canadian news source The Province, video-game counterfeiting is growing despite DVD and CD piracy being the more popular form of piracy.

“There has to be sufficient deterrent, as opposed to just the cost of doing business,“ Parr told The Province. “There really is an impact locally in our ability to invest in the industry.“

Wong pleaded guilty to the 26 counts of fraud. According to the Richmond BC release the charges against Wong’s company were stayed but sentenced WOng to pay a $25,000 fine with forfeiture of all counterfeiting related items sized by the police during their search.

Read [The Province] News Release [Richmond, British Columbia, Canada] Site [ESA Canada]

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