See this message? You may be a victim of software piracy. Since June 2025, Spacefarer now use runic Anti-Tamper DRM to protect our video games from exploits and counterfeiting.
What is Runic Anti-Tamper?
Runic Anti-Tamper DRM is a ‘soft’ DRM solution developed in-house by Spacefarer Games. In July 2024, we were victims of a massive piracy attack that put the company into administration, albiet temporarily. This voided all contracts that we had with our indie developers and other individuals in the indie game space because of this. We cannot afford to make the same mistake twice. In our efforts to combat this, we now use our Soft DRM solution in our future product launches. This only will be employed with ‘New’ or ‘Major Upgrade’ launches.
Existing games that we’ve already released will not use Runic Anti-Tamper, as it’s sole purpose to to protect new ‘big’ game launches from piracy.
It works by validating the game executable and data files and checks that they haven’t been modified in any way. It doesn’t phone home to to this. It also protects the two-fold layer of Steam DRM if on that Storefront from modification. This two-fold approach also protects you, the end user from malware as you’ll be alerted if you have a genuine copy or not.
Chances are, if you bought the game legally on Steam, GOG, Nintendo or Microsoft, you’ll never see this dialog.
We will not be reversing course on this decision to use Runic DRM in the future.
The Stages of the DRM and processes-
- Check no ‘Steam Wrapper’ is being used. These are often used to make the Steam API DRM think that the game is owned by a pirate. This DRM checks for that, removes it from the game and produces a fail. The game will fail to boot.
- Check that the Steam DLL and / or game files have been digitally signed. If they haven’t, this produces a fail.
- Check the SHA 256 and CRCs of the files of the game. If they don’t match the original copies, this is a fail.
- If all three of these check out fine, the game boots. All of this takes under 5 seconds to complete, and it won’t be checking again during play until the next launch, and it doesn’t need the internet to do this.
Runic VS Other DRMS
Runic DRM stands out from other DRM systems by being lightweight, offline-friendly, and game-specific, whereas most mainstream DRM solutions—like Denuvo, Steamworks are broader in scope and often more intrusive.
Here’s a quick comparison:
| Feature | Runic DRM (Spacefarer) | Denuvo | Steamworks DRM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Use | Game anti-tamper (Spacefarer titles) | Game anti-tamper (AAA titles) | Game distribution (Steam) | |
| Internet Required | No | Often yes | Yes (Steam client) | |
| Performance Impact | Minimal (under 5s check) | Sometimes noticeable | Low | |
| Modding Friendly | Moderate (depends on file integrity) | Low | Moderate | |
| Tamper Detection | File hash + signature checks | Encrypted code + runtime checks | Steam API validation | |
| Customization | High (in-house, tailored to game) | Low (proprietary, closed) | Moderate |
What makes Runic DRM the most fair is its focus on transparency and speed—it doesn’t require online activation, and it only kicks in for major releases. That’s a stark contrast to systems like Denuvo, which have been criticized for performance hits and always-online requirements.
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GOV.UK Information
According to UK Government Law, the act of video game piracy and modification of intellectual property is theft. Please visit GOV.UK for further information regarding this.