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PROPHILE
Written by: Katie Kitsting
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== Basic Information ==
Handle: Empress (stylized as EMPRESS)
Other Handles: C000005
Real Name: Unknown
Accomplices: Mr_Goldberg
Enemies: Repacking sites, half of Reddit
Computer: Not sure, probably a really good one
Transphobic?: Yes
"Dark Souls 2 is the best video game ever made." -EMPRESS
EMPRESS was a video game cracker who was active from around 2014 to 2023. For
the uninitiated, "cracking" in this context is the process of removing copy
protection/DRM from a game. EMPRESS specialized in Denuvo, which is notoriously
very diffiult to crack. In fact, EMPRESS was one of the very few crackers who
even know how to get around it. She claims that her only goal is to rid the
world of pesky DRM (which she vehemently despises) and that she has "no need
for 'Ego'."
It is speculated that before trying to make a name for herself, EMPRESS was part
of the group CODEX. EMPRESS herself has even claimed to have at least some
association. This has not been confirmed, but it is at least very likely.
EMPRESS often cracked games by request, while also charging a fee. Some notable
games she has cracked include SoulCalibur VI, Red Dead Redemption 2, Anno 1800,
Immortals Fenyx Rising, and, most recently, Hogwarts Legacy.
Despite her very impressive technical skills, EMPRESS is often accused online of
being "insane" and "schizo". NFO files that are released with her cracks are
often extremely opinionated and, at times, borderline nonsensical. EMPRESS also
often made posts on Reddit about her own personal philosophy (which was also
very opinionated and nonsensical), expressing extreme resentment to those who
were opposed to the way she thinks. Most of these posts have since been deleted.
Controversy: In late 2020, EMPRESS released her crack of Immortals Fenyx Rising.
People were very pleased at first, but soon found that their download speeds
were very slow. EMPRESS was accused of capping the download speed of her crack,
and this was later confirmed. EMPRESS claims she did it because she feared that
repacking sites like FitGirl would "steal the spotlight" from her work, and that
she deserved all the credit because she was doing "the REAL work". In
retaliation, several repacking sites announced that they would no longer host
EMPRESS cracks.
In early 2021, EMPRESS made a post which claimed she was being arrested, saying
that repacking sites and redditors doxxed her to the police. This claim was met
with skepticism, and it is unclear whether or not EMPRESS was actually arrested.
In a later post, she claimed that her lawyer protected her and she is safe.
Effects on history, technology, and art: After the controversy, people in the
game cracking community learned that maybe not everyone can be fully trusted.
While EMPRESS had very impressive skills, her actions suggested that maybe she
only ever really cared for herself. Still, she was a very large part of the
cracking scene of recent years, and filled a niche that not many people were
able to fill. Her work allowed people to access games that would otherwise be
burdened by copy protection and not really "owned". EMPRESS believed that video
games were art, and she believed that nobody should control how you enjoy them.
Despite everything, she was able to share this vision with the world.