Ubisoft takes Uplay down after Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon gets hacked

Ubisoft has disabled the PC game download service for Uplay, its digital distribution and digital rights management service, after an exploit allowed users to download upcoming spin-off Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon weeks early - and for free. Users who downloaded an executable that tricked the Uplay platform into providing a download for Blood Dragon were able to access the game's information earlier this week. The exploit allowed Uplay users to download other games from Ubisoft and other publishers on the service, not just the unreleased Far Cry 3 spin-off.

Hackers are at it again. According to reports, the copies of Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon that are available on torrent sites are the result of a Russian hack of Ubisoft's uPlay service. According to a report on Gameranx, a piece of code was used to trick the uPlay servers into bestowing ownership of the titles without purchase, including those not even available to the public.

Furthermore, the exploits can be used to play the games offline, circumventing DRM. Ubisoft has taken flak from PC gamers over oppressive piracy prevention measures, and the publisher has recently stated a desire to repair relationships with affected gamers. We can't wait to play Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon either, but piracy isn't the way to go. Original footage proving authenticity of the hack has been removed by Ubisoft, but it continues to emerge from other users.