Fan games are unlicensed games that a fanbase or community makes as a nod to a particular franchise. One such fan game is "Sonic Gather Battle," which is described as a "darn awesome game." However, as awesome as the game may be, players soon discovered that it had a digital rights management (DRM) measure that functions almost similar to malware.
The malware-like DRM was first discovered by Discord user LJSTAR. The effects can be triggered by just about anything, from a bug or using the Cheat Engine software. In any case, triggering the DRM will cause very unpleasant effects to the player's computer.
First, the graphics background would turn into dark blue or red, complete with creepy eyeballs floating on the screen. Players can try to uninstall and reinstall the game, but it will not make the game revert back to its "normal" state. Tricks, like delving into the Windows registry and editing or deleting entries, will not work, either.
Copying your save file so you can play it on another PC would only make the situation worse. It has been reported that the corrupted save file will infect the other computer, thus activating and spreading the DRM-triggered effects on it.
But perhaps the worse effect of this malware is the issue with browsers. Typing the "Sonic Gather Battle" followed by the words "cheat" or "hack" will close the internet browser window. This suggests that the malware can somehow take control and access the player's web surfing habits.
The only way to remove the DRM, according to LJSTAR, is to contact a certain person. Who this person was is not specified, but it was implied that the person has a close connection with the game's creator. From there, the player pleads his case. If the player is found innocent, it is promised that the effects of the DRM will be removed.
The screenshots of LJSTAR's claim has been shared on a forum on Facepunch. It has been shared on the Sonic subreddit and in a thread that garnered over 1,000 upvotes.
