Denuvo DRM Hate is Supposedly from “Toxic” Gamers

Denuvo's product manager, Andreas Ullmann, has come forward to defend the company's anti-piracy software amidst ongoing criticisms from the gaming community.

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

Denuvo Addresses Performance Concerns and Misinformation

In a recent interview, Andreas Ullmann, the product manager at Denuvo, tackled the intense backlash the anti-piracy company has received from gamers. Ullmann labeled the gaming community's response as "very toxic," asserting that much of the criticism, particularly regarding performance impacts, arises from misinformation and confirmation bias.

Denuvo’s anti-tamper DRM has become a staple for major publishers aiming to safeguard new game releases from piracy, including titles like Final Fantasy 16. However, gamers frequently point fingers at the DRM, claiming it hampers game performance. They often reference anecdotal evidence or unverified benchmarks that suggest a decline in framerate or stability when Denuvo is in use. Ullmann countered these claims, noting that even cracked versions of games retain Denuvo’s code.

"The cracks don’t remove our protection," Ullmann explained in an interview with 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 asked if he denies that Denuvo can negatively impact game performance, Ullmann clarified, "No, and I think that’s also something we’ve stated in our FAQ on Discord." He conceded that there have been "valid cases," such as with Tekken 7, where Denuvo DRM did affect performance.

However, this stance appears to conflict with Denuvo’s own 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, acknowledged that gamers often struggle to see the immediate benefits of DRM. He emphasized the significant advantages it offers developers, citing studies that show a "20%" increase in revenue for games protected by effective DRM, thanks to reduced early piracy. He called on players to appreciate Denuvo’s contributions to the industry and not to condemn DRM without substantial evidence, attributing much of the misunderstanding to misinformation from the piracy community.

"These big corporations are… looking for a way to minimize the risk for their investment," Ullmann stated. "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 Denuvo's efforts to address these misconceptions, the backlash from gamers persists. On October 15, 2024, Denuvo launched a public Discord server, aiming to foster open dialogue with gamers. However, the initiative backfired when, within just two days, the main chat was inundated with anti-DRM memes, performance complaints, and other critical messages. Overwhelmed by the flood of content, Denuvo's small moderation team had to disable chat permissions and switch the server to read-only mode. Yet, similar sentiments continue to dominate their social media interactions.

Despite this setback, Ullmann remains optimistic. In his interview with Rock, Paper, Shotgun, he remarked, "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 these forthcoming efforts will alter the community's perception is still up in the air, but Denuvo's attempt to take charge of the narrative seems geared towards fostering a more balanced conversation between gamers and developers. As Ullmann stated, "This is exactly what we are looking for. Having honest, nice conversations with people. Talking about what we all love, which is gaming."