Skip to main content

'Deus Ex: The Fall' will jam your guns on jailbroken iOS devices (update)

'Deus Ex: The Fall' will jam your guns on jailbroken iOS devices (update)

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Deus Ex: The Fall
Deus Ex: The Fall

Square Enix has included a feature in its latest iOS title Deus Ex: The Fall that disables the firing of guns if it recognizes that the player is using a jailbroken device. The limitation, first noted on Reddit, allows users to play the game but displays the message "We are sorry but you can't fire on jailbroken devices" if they attempt to pull the trigger.

Jailbreak to play the pacifist version of the game

After the issue became public knowledge, Square Enix updated the game's App Store page to warn users that the "play experience is currently restricted on jailbroken devices." The company also tells iOS gamers that they "should not purchase if you have voided your warranty and have jailbroken your device." It is unclear whether it has incorporated restrictions to reduce piracy or to mitigate potential support issues in the future, but it's tough on gamers that have already paid $6.99 to download the title.

Jailbreak restrictions aren't necessarily new — Skype displays an in-app notice warning iOS users they may experience unpredictable behaviour on a jailbroken device — but in most cases apps continue to operate or are free to download. We have reached out to Square Enix for comment on whether it will reverse its decision to limit the experience on some iOS devices and will update the article accordingly.

Update: Square Enix has announced that it will remove restrictions against jailbroken devices "in the near future." In a statement to The Penny Arcade Report, the publisher admits it failed to adequately notify customers who would be affected by the original decision. "We did not state clearly that the game would not support jailbroken devices and so we will be switching this off via an update, so that all the supported iOS devices will be able to play the game," the company said.