"Denuvo DRM Criticism Linked to 'Toxic' Gamers"

Denuvo’s Product Manager Defends Anti-Piracy Software Amidst Backlash

Denuvo Addresses Performance Concerns and Misinformation

In a recent interview, Denuvo's product manager Andreas Ullmann tackled the ongoing criticism the anti-piracy company has faced from the gaming community. Ullmann described the feedback as "very toxic" and argued that much of the backlash, particularly regarding performance issues, stems from misinformation and confirmation bias.

Denuvo’s anti-tamper DRM has been adopted by major publishers to safeguard new game releases from piracy, including recent titles like Final Fantasy 16. However, gamers frequently claim that Denuvo negatively impacts game performance, often referencing anecdotal evidence or unverified benchmarks showing improvements in framerate or stability after removing Denuvo. Ullmann countered these claims, explaining that cracked versions of games still contain Denuvo's code.

"The cracks, they don’t remove our protection," Ullmann told Rock, Paper, Shotgun. "There is even more code on top of the cracked code—that is executing on top of our code, and causing even more stuff to be executed. So there is technically no way that the cracked version is faster than the uncracked version."

When pressed on whether Denuvo can affect game performance, Ullmann acknowledged there are "valid cases," such as with Tekken 7, where performance issues were linked to Denuvo DRM. However, this contrasts with Denuvo’s Anti-Tamper Q&A, which asserts, "Anti-Tamper has no perceptible effect on game performance nor is Anti-Tamper to blame for any game crashes of genuine executables."

On Denuvo’s Negative Reputation and Discord Shutdown

Ullmann, an avid gamer himself, recognizes the frustrations many gamers have with DRM, noting it's often "super hard to see, as a gamer, what is the immediate benefit." He highlighted the substantial benefits Denuvo offers to developers, citing studies that show a "20%" revenue increase due to early piracy prevention. Ullmann also pointed out that misinformation from the piracy community has fueled misunderstandings, urging players to acknowledge Denuvo's positive contributions to the industry.

"These big corporations are… looking for a way to minimize the risk for their investment," Ullmann explained. "Again, this does not have an immediate benefit for me as a player. But if you look further, the more successful a game is, the longer it will get updates. The more additional content will come to that game, the more likely it is that there will be a next iteration of the game. That's basically the benefits that we offer to the average player."

Despite efforts to clarify misconceptions, Denuvo continues to face backlash from gamers. On October 15, 2024, the company launched a public Discord server to foster open dialogue with the community. However, within just two days, Denuvo had to shut down the server's main chat due to an influx of anti-DRM memes and performance complaints, which overwhelmed their small moderation team. The server was temporarily set to read-only mode, while Denuvo's social media posts continue to attract similar feedback.

Despite this setback, Ullmann remains committed to improving communication with gamers. "You have to start somewhere, right?" he said in his interview with Rock, Paper, Shotgun. "So this is now the start for this initiative, and we want to be out there. It will take some time. It will start on Discord, and later on we hope we can move to other platforms: Reddit, Steam forums, to have official accounts and throw our comments into the discussions."

The success of Denuvo's future transparency efforts in changing community perceptions is uncertain, but their initiative appears aimed at fostering a more constructive dialogue between gamers and developers. As Ullmann emphasized, "This is exactly what we are looking for. Having honest, nice conversations with people. Talking about what we all love, which is gaming."