Ubisoft used pirate’s code to fix game

You have to love the smell of irony in the morning. Ubisoft does not condone PC piracy, much like the rest of the games industry. Despite the stance, it was found that Ubisoft utilized a “no-cd” crack to fix a problem users were experiencing with Rainbox Six Vegas 2 on the Direct2Drive service.

According to gamesindustry.biz, the issue began when Ubisoft created a patch for Rainbow Six Vegas 2 that added new multiplayer modes and fixes for the PC version. The problem with the patch is that like most PC games, it forces the disk drive to confirm that the game disk is being used. This obviously creates a large issue for users of the Direct2Drive service who simply download the game from the website. After noticing the glitch Ubisoft did the rational thing. They converted a pirate groups’ “no-cd” crack into the game to alleviate the problem.

Ubisoft recently commented on the situation.

The file was removed from the site over a week ago now and the matter is being thoroughly investigated bysenior tech support managers here at Ubisoft. Needless to say we do not support or condone copy protection circumvention methods like this and this particular incident is in direct conflict with Ubisoft’s policies.

At least they’re willing to admit that the use of the patch was a tad bit unethical. What do you guys think? Should more game companies use pirated code to fix their property, or should they just depend on themselves for quick fixes?

[Thanks, Logan!]