While it isn’t often enough to decree it as law, it happens enough for it to be beyond coincidental: sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the grease in the video game industry.
After a rather robust outcry regarding id Software’s decision to include Denuvo Anti-Cheat (DAC, colloquially) in the recently released Doom Eternal, id Software has updated the version on PCs removing the anti-cheat, as was recently promised.
This bodes well for everyone involved, minus Denuvo, as DAC was causing users to be unable to play the game after a surprise update included the rambunctious software that was flagged as malware for multiple users.
Unfortunately, it’s likely that many who faced frustrations and an inability to play have already returned the title, if they were able to successfully get past Steam’s automated return process.
The removal of DAC is immediate after you download the 1.1 patch on PC, letting players go back to what Doom was supposed to revolve around this entire time; gibbing endless waves of enemies set to a tune of heavy metal.
How id Software lost apparent sight of this has been concerning to fans of the storied franchise; accusations have been levied at both id and Bethesda in the interim while id Software remained silent on their decision to include Denuvo software in the title.
The only member of this to suffer is undoubtedly Irdeto, the development studio behind Denuvo in all of its modern forms. The outcry that came suddenly and without hesitation from Doom’s many fans could likely bode poorly for the software-security company, as other companies could likely be hesitant to work with them in the future for fear of angering their player base.
In spite of this, companies have continued to opt for Denuvo Anti-Tamper to protect their titles when they do release; even if only for a short while.
This is in spite of many users simply detecting the software, levying accusations towards many developers that their inclusion of Denuvo forces programs to run worse than what they would otherwise: a claim that has been substantiated both ways from an assortment of outlets on various titles.
Regardless of what this could mean for the future of Irdeto, fans are unsure if the game finally being returned to a playable state is worthy of praise for either id or Bethesda. The event has highlighted the general lack of consumer rights as it comes to digital licensing, from either Valve or consumer-rights advocacy groups.