At this point, removing Denuvo, even if it doesn’t have performance benefits, is a way to curry favor with the PC community.
- Starbreeze has announced that it will not include the controversial Denuvo DRM system in Payday 3.
- Payday 3, being an always-online title, made Denuvo seem unnecessary and possibly costly to many.
- Still, the decision has been celebrated by fans ahead of Payday 3’s release on September 21.
Unexpectedly, days before Payday 3 is set to launch, Starbreeze, the company behind the highly anticipated first-person shooter game, is announcing some great news: Denuvo DRM, a divisive anti-cheat and anti-tampering technology, will not be included in the game.
A post on Steam with the concise message, “Hello heisters, we want to inform you that Denuvo is no longer in Payday 3,” made this news.
As expected, the extraordinarily patient community responded to this message with notable positivity.
This development follows a barrage of criticism directed at Denuvo’s inclusion in Payday 3. Two months before the announcement, there was a strong and generally negative reaction expressed in a topic on the r/paydaytheheist subreddit over Denuvo’s existence. By fixing this issue, Starbreeze appears committed to making sure that a passionate player base backs the release of their game. They are clearly paying attention to the opinions of their devoted fan base, as evidenced by the years.
Denuvo has long had a contentious reputation. Many think it makes game modding more difficult and negatively affects game performance. DRM can also make games utterly unplayable when authentication servers are unavailable. Irdeto, the company that created Denuvo, has swiftly refuted these claims. In an effort to clear its name and put an end to rumors, Irdeto recently announced that it would be sending two different game versions to media outlets—one with Denuvo and the other without—with the goal of proving that Denuvo doesn’t affect gameplay.
However, a lot of players have problems with more than just game performance. DRM restricts the game’s unrestricted use, especially when it’s as strict as Denuvo. According to beta tester reports, Payday 3 had serious performance problems. This led some to wonder if the choice to remove Denuvo was impacted by these reports.
It’s crucial to understand the situation’s larger perspective, though. Some well-known games, such as Resident Evil Village, are removing Denuvo after release. Meanwhile, future titles such as Tekken 8 have already made the decision not to include Denuvo from the beginning.
These patterns point to a changing understanding of the worth and necessity of denuvo, particularly in light of all the negative aspects of the product.
Payday 3 was originally intended to be an always-online game that required a Starbreeze account in order to access. For numerous enthusiasts, this implied that Denuvo was an unnecessary, duplicate security measure. According to some, Denuvo’s departure had less to do with a sincere change of heart and more to do with cost-cutting tactics. Payday 3 is an online-only game, so it may not have appeared necessary to incorporate a layer like Denuvo, especially considering the increased expenses involved in implementing it.
Whatever the reasoning behind this choice, one thing is certain: the gaming community, particularly PC users, approve of it. The player community has primarily viewed this as a victory, highlighting the changing relationship between game makers and their audience. Developers and publishers alike will need to find a balance between content security and delivering the best possible gaming experience as the gaming industry develops further. It will take time to see if additional developers choose this approach or if Denuvo responds to the shifting needs of the industry.
Payday 3, which will retail for $39.99 and be available globally on September 21 for the PC, PS5, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X, is finally scheduled to release after being freed from Denuvo’s shackles.