Denuvo

2026-05-06T15:24:19Z

2605:59C8:3D7B:9010:E638:EFC2:CCC9:85FB: Update description on Denuvo q&a discord to reflect state of server after the previously mentioned shutdown/suspension

{{StubNotice}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Founded=2014-09-26
|Industry=Video games, Digital-rights management, Software
|Logo=Denuvo logo.svg
|ParentCompany=Irdeto
|Type=Subsidiary
|Website=https://irdeto.com/denuvo/
}}

'''{{Wplink|Denuvo|Denuvo Software Solutions GmbH}}''' is an Austrian company that develops the [[DRM|digital-rights management]] (DRM) and {{Wplink|Anti-tamper software|anti-tamper}} software Denuvo Anti-Tamper (DAT) and the anti-cheat system Denuvo Anti-Cheat (DAC) for video games. The goal of DAT is to make cracking a game as difficult as possible, in order to protect a game’s launch window.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Orland |first=Kyle |date=6 Feb 2018 |title=Denuvo: Our cracked RE7 protection is still better than nothing [Updated] |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/02/denuvo-our-cracked-re7-protection-is-still-better-than-nothing/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=ArsTechnica |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260216035055/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/02/denuvo-our-cracked-re7-protection-is-still-better-than-nothing/ |archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Consumer-impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
===High resource usage===
Despite '''Denuvo'''<nowiki/>'s denials,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lemon |first=Marshall |date=4 Sep 2018 |title=Two Point Hospital no longer uses Denuvo DRM |url=https://www.vg247.com/two-point-hospital-no-longer-uses-denuvo-drm |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=VG247 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250709125840/https://www.vg247.com/two-point-hospital-no-longer-uses-denuvo-drm |archive-date=9 Jul 2025}}</ref> its software has been documented to consume a lot of computer resources,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Machkovech |first=Sam |date=26 Dec 2018 |title=Evidence continues to mount about how bad Denuvo is for PC gaming performance |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/12/evidence-continues-to-mount-about-how-bad-denuvo-is-for-pc-gaming-performance/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=ArsTechnica |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251113203606/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/12/evidence-continues-to-mount-about-how-bad-denuvo-is-for-pc-gaming-performance/ |archive-date=13 Nov 2025}}</ref> notably documented for ''Tekken 7''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vazquez |first=Suriel |date=14 Apr 2018 |title=DRM Software Causing Performance Issues In PC Version Of Tekken 7, Says Producer |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2018/04/14/drm-software-causing-performance-issues-in-pc-version-of-tekken-7-says-producer.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180521071901/https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2018/04/14/drm-software-causing-performance-issues-in-pc-version-of-tekken-7-says-producer.aspx |archive-date=21 May 2018 |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Game Informer}}</ref> and ''Sonic Mania Plus,''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leri |first=Michael |date=20 Jul 2018 |title=Sonic Mania Plus DRM Protection Slowing Down Legitimate Copies |url=https://www.gamerevolution.com/news/409231-sonic-mania-plus-drm-protection-slowing-down-legitimate-copies |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Game Revolution |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260206175135/https://www.gamerevolution.com/news/409231-sonic-mania-plus-drm-protection-slowing-down-legitimate-copies |archive-date=6 Feb 2026}}</ref> both games where slowdown is extremely detrimental to players, especially in competitive settings.<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 Nov 2017 |title=Does modern DRM really hurt gaming performance? |url=https://megagames.com/editorials/does-modern-drm-really-hurt-gaming-performance |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Mega Games |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251114171302/https://megagames.com/editorials/does-modern-drm-really-hurt-gaming-performance |archive-date=14 Nov 2025}}</ref> This slowdown often encourages users to prefer a crack of the game as soon as a crack releases, as seen by early cracks significantly harming sales.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tyson |first=Mark |date=13 Oct 2024 |title=Publishers face 20% game revenue reduction if Denuvo DRM is cracked quickly, according to new study |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/publishers-face-20-percent-game-revenue-reduction-if-denuvo-drm-is-cracked-quickly-according-to-new-study |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Tom's Hardware |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251019210731/https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/publishers-face-20-percent-game-revenue-reduction-if-denuvo-drm-is-cracked-quickly-according-to-new-study |archive-date=19 Oct 2025}}</ref> As a result of the high system usage, consumers with run lower-end hardware are often unable to even launch these games without running cracked versions, especially when the game's publisher has under-optimized it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bayley |first=Dominic |date=24 Sep 2024 |title=Are modern PC games badly optimized or is it just time to upgrade? |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2455340/are-modern-pc-games-badly-optimized-or-is-it-just-time-to-upgrade.html |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=PCWorld |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260116000508/https://www.pcworld.com/article/2455340/are-modern-pc-games-badly-optimized-or-is-it-just-time-to-upgrade.html |archive-date=16 Jan 2026}}</ref>

Developers have also blamed '''Denuvo''' for negatively impacting performance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parsons |first=Don |date=14 Apr 2018 |title=Tekken Director Says Denuvo Behind Recent Performance Issues On PC |url=https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/tekken-director-says-denuvo-behind-recent-performance-issues-on-pc |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251026031012/https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/tekken-director-says-denuvo-behind-recent-performance-issues-on-pc |archive-date=26 Oct 2025 |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Tech Raptor}}</ref> Many of them have stopped using '''DAT''' in their games,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ariyasinghe |first=Pulasthi |date=15 Oct 2024 |title=BioWare confirms Dragon Age: The Veilguard won't have Denuvo or any third-party DRM |url=https://www.neowin.net/news/bioware-confirms-dragon-age-the-veilguard-wont-have-denuvo-or-any-third-party-drm/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260204163245/https://www.neowin.net/news/bioware-confirms-dragon-age-the-veilguard-wont-have-denuvo-or-any-third-party-drm/ |archive-date=4 Feb 2026 |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Neowin}}</ref> with others utilizing it during the launch period but removing it from their games after some time has passed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Craig |first=Danny |date=11 Apr 2023 |title=Square Enix and Capcom remove Denuvo DRM from multiple games |url=https://hitmarker.net/news/square-enix-and-capcom-remove-denuvo-drm-from-multiple-games-2007312 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250708174742/https://hitmarker.net/news/square-enix-and-capcom-remove-denuvo-drm-from-multiple-games-2007312 |archive-date=8 Jul 2025 |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Hitmarker}}</ref> Controversies surrounding performance issues has resulted in '''Denuvo'''’s brand image being severely tarnished, with a [[Discord]] server intended to be used for questioning being quickly flooded with harassment, resulting in an initial voluntary suspension<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allen |first=Joseph |date=17 Oct 2024 |title=New Denuvo Discord Temporarily Suspended After Deluge of Hate Messages |url=https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/denuvo-discord-suspended-inappropriate-content |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128145101/https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/denuvo-discord-suspended-inappropriate-content |archive-date=28 Jan 2026 |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Tech Raptor}}</ref> followed by a transition to periodic question and answer periods.

===Machine Activation Limits===
Many games that implement '''DAT'''<nowiki/>'s protections also come with machine activation limits, usually 5 activations per 24-hour period.<ref>{{Cite web |last=gamegpu |date=2025-03-14 |title=Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Denuvo DRM protection and 5 activations per day limit |url=https://en.gamegpu.com/game/assassin-s-creed-shadows-drm-protection-day-and-limitation-to-5-activations-per-day |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-03 |website=gamegpu.com}}</ref> By imposing arbitrary limits on activations, buyers that have legally acquired the game are unable to play it on all their devices.

There are also accounts of users being locked out of access to their games by simply changing the version of {{Wplink|Proton (software)|Proton}} multiple times to get the game working/running correctly.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dawe |first=Liam |date=2025-05-15 |title=Denuvo will lock you out of games on Linux, SteamOS, Steam Deck if you keep changing Proton versions |url=https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/05/denuvo-will-lock-you-out-of-games-on-linux-steamos-steam-deck-if-you-keep-changing-proton-versions/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260405135829/https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/05/denuvo-will-lock-you-out-of-games-on-linux-steamos-steam-deck-if-you-keep-changing-proton-versions/ |archive-date=2026-04-05 |access-date=2026-04-03 |website=GamingOnLinux}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=minornine |date=2024-01-17 |title=Any way around 24 hour Denuvo activation limit when switching between Proton versions? :: Resident Evil 4 General Discussions |url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/2050650/discussions/0/4130430927307702044/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260405140147/https://steamcommunity.com/app/2050650/discussions/0/4130430927307702044/ |archive-date=2026-04-05 |access-date=2026-04-03 |website=Steam Community}}</ref>

===Games with DAT require an always on internet connection===
Games using '''DAT''' require an always online internet connection to play. '''DAT''' pings '''Denuvo'''<nowiki/>'s authentication servers to validate the legitimacy of the game.{{Citation needed}}

On October 2016, The following games during were unavailable due to Denuvo's authentication servers going offline for a couple days causing games to display an error on start up: Batman Arkham Knight, Mad Max and Shadow of War.[https://www.dsogaming.com/news/denuvo-server-problems-prevented-players-from-playing-batman-arkham-knight-mad-max/]

On 07 November 2021, Guardians of the Galaxy, Football Manager 2022, Planet Zoo, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider trilogy, Wolfenstein Youngblood, Mortal Kombat 11, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, Persona 4 Golden, Demon Slayer, among others became completely unplayable due to the Domain Codefusion expiring and not being renewed.[https://www.pcgamer.com/a-great-day-for-drm-as-denuvo-lapse-renders-tons-of-games-temporarily-unplayable/]

On 02 May 2024, Persona 5 Royal was affected after Denuvo's authentication servers became unavailable. [https://thegeek.games/2024/05/06/when-drm-is-harmful-a-popular-game-became-unplayable-for-hours-on-pc/]

==Products==

*Denuvo Anti-Tamper
*Denuvo Anti-Cheat

==See also==
{{Ph-C-SA}}

==References==
<references />
[[Category:Denuvo]]

Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

Denuvo