Denuvo DRM Hate is Supposedly from “Toxic” Gamers

Denuvo's product manager, Andreas Ullmann, recently defended the company's anti-piracy software, addressing long-standing criticism from the gaming community.

Denuvo Addresses Performance Concerns and Misinformation

In a recent interview with Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Ullmann characterized the gaming community's response to Denuvo as "very toxic," attributing many performance-related criticisms to misinformation and confirmation bias. Denuvo's anti-tamper DRM is used by major publishers, including in recent titles like Final Fantasy 16, to protect against piracy. However, gamers frequently claim Denuvo negatively impacts performance, often citing anecdotal evidence or unverified benchmarks. Ullmann countered this, stating that cracked versions of games don't actually remove Denuvo's code; they often contain even more code running on top, leading to performance issues. "The cracks, they don’t remove our protection," he explained. "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."

While acknowledging "valid cases," like Tekken 7, where Denuvo caused performance problems, Ullmann pointed to the company's FAQ, which claims Denuvo has "no perceptible effect on game performance." This discrepancy between Ullmann's statement and the official FAQ raises questions about the company's communication.

Denuvo's Negative Reputation and Discord Shutdown

Ullmann, himself a gamer, understands the frustration with DRM, admitting the benefits aren't always immediately apparent to players. He highlighted the significant benefits for developers, citing studies showing a 20% revenue increase in games with effective DRM due to reduced early piracy. He argued that misinformation from the piracy community fuels negative perceptions, urging gamers to consider Denuvo's contribution to the industry's longevity and avoid blanket condemnation. He emphasized the long-term benefits for players: "These big corporations are… looking for a way to minimize the risk for their investment," Ullmann stated. "…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."

Denuvo's attempt to improve communication by launching a public Discord server in October 2024 backfired spectacularly. Overwhelmed by negative feedback and memes, the server's main chat was shut down within two days, temporarily shifting to read-only mode. Despite this setback, Ullmann remains committed to improving communication, stating, "You have to start somewhere, right? 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."

Whether Denuvo's efforts will change public perception remains to be seen, but the company's push for transparency aims to encourage a more balanced conversation between gamers and developers. As Ullmann concluded, "This is exactly what we are looking for. Having honest, nice conversations with people. Talking about what we all love, which is gaming."