The group's sudden appearance was as baffling as its technical prowess. With all the hallmarks of a professional "Scene" group, they had access to private topsites and released their cracks in proper formats. Yet, no one had any prior knowledge of them. This has led to endless speculation. Some believe they were an offshoot of a larger, established group. The most compelling theory, however, involves their use of , a software protection tool. STEAMPUNKS used VMProtect to shield their own KeyGen from being reverse-engineered. This was a bold move, as it was the same tool that Denuvo itself was accused of using without a proper license. This connection led many to suspect that the people behind STEAMPUNKS might have been disgruntled current or former employees of Denuvo or VMProtect, using their inside knowledge to strike back. Regardless of their origins, STEAMPUNKS had changed the game.
FIFA, as a franchise, was particularly sensitive to this pressure. EA Sports’ flagship title relies on annual releases, ultimate team microtransactions, and online connectivity. Traditionally, FIFA was cracked within days of release. But FIFA 17 , released in September 2016, was a fortress. It ran on the Frostbite engine for the first time, and wrapped inside it was the latest iteration of Denuvo. FIFA 17-STEAMPUNKS