Synced - Windows Registry Change Explained
Synced sparked concerns with its Windows Registry change prompt while launching it. If you want to learn more about this, you're in the right place.
Soon to be released in free-to-play model, Synced is a cooperative shooter set in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world called Meridian. In the presented universe, the realm is overrun by a rogue technology known as Nanos. They are main part of the game, as players can “sync” their foes to turn them into specialised allies. As Synced tells a story about rogue technology, it seems that the title has a problem with one, too, as during the first launch it asks for Windows Registry access. What is that? Is it safe? Let’s dive deeper to find out.
What is Windows Registry
Simply put, Windows Registry is a kind of database with specific functionality to store operating system’s (OS) settings and options. Not only settings related to OS are stored there, also much information regarding third-party programs and applications have their entries in the registry.
In this regard, games are no different, and sometimes can store information in the registry. Steam, for example, has a separate key (tree-like structure) for every installed app. Not every game has values related to it, though it is nothing out of the ordinary.
Windows Registry access while installing Synced
There have been reports from players, who participated in the last Steam Next festival and gave Synced a shot, that when launching the game for the first time, the title requires access to modify Windows Registry. This is not a common practice and can cause concerns.
This has been officially addressed by the developers who stated that the file that is requested to be added (url_protocol.reg) is used for game launcher so that it can be directly invoked from web pages. Players are still concerned though, because there is no certainty what the file exactly changes in the registry.
As already mentioned, it is not completely unusual for apps to have their keys in registry, as for example EA titles on Steam, which require EA App installation, have their value in Steam’s key. This should not happen by prompting users during a game installation, though. As creators are already aware of those issues, they have communicated that they will be working on this, but it is not known yet if that will be fixed on the release date of Synced, which is tomorrow.
For people who are very privacy and security sensitive, it is advised to wait until this situation is resolved.
