openRCT2 blocked by windows Defender

[RCTBob]

Is it normal for the openrct2.EXE to be blocked by Windows defender when I try to launch it for the first time?

I Have virus checked the downloaded openrct2 file with both my third party virus software as well as windows defender and all is good. However, windows defender smart launch does not like the program at all. It blocked the original download of the exe (I had to get the zip file instead) and it blocks it on launch warning it might be dangerous.

Could this be because the file has no verified author or something like that? If my virus checker says it’s good there can’t be anything wrong with it right?

Edited September 5, 2020 by RCTBob

[Gymnasiast]

This is a problem that happens from time to time. It used to be much more prevalent, but we changed the structure of the program and now it luckily happens much less often.

Some more background can be found here: https://github.com/OpenRCT2/OpenRCT2/wiki/FAQ-&-Common-Issues#why-does-my-virus-scanner-not-trust-openrct2

If Defender is blocking the program outright, try going into its settings window and look for the quarantine section. You should be able to see the blocked attempts at starting OpenRCT2 - you can tell Defender that you want to run it anyway.

[RCTBob]

Ok thanks. I think that it does not like it because it’s new and has an unknown author. So I can just allow it. But as I said it passed the virus test on both defender and kaspersky so It should be safe. 
 

[Gymnasiast]

Yeah, Microsoft is turning the screws on software that hasn't been signed with a developer certificate. But Microsoft asks a lot of money for those certificates, and they make no exception for software which is provided free of charge.