Denuvo DRM: "Toxic" Gamers or Legitimate Concerns?

Denuvo’s product manager Andreas Ullmann defended the company’s anti-piracy software, as he responded to long-standing criticisms from the gaming community.

Denuvo’s Product Manager Defends Anti-Piracy Software Amidst BacklashDenuvo Addresses Performance Concerns and Misinformation

In a recent interview, Denuvo’s product manager Andreas Ullmann addressed the fierce backlash the anti-piracy company has faced from gamers over the years. Ullmann described the response from the gaming community as "very toxic" and emphasized that many criticisms, especially around performance impacts, stem from misinformation and confirmation bias.

For context, Denuvo’s anti-tamper DRM has been a go-to for major publishers looking to protect new games from piracy, with recent releases like Final Fantasy 16 among those using it. Yet gamers regularly accuse the DRM of dragging down game performance, sometimes citing anecdotal evidence or unverified benchmarks showing a difference in framerate or stability when Denuvo is removed. Ullmann disrupted these claims, arguing that cracked versions of games still contain Denuvo’s code.

"The cracks, they don’t remove our protection," Ullmann said 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, he stated, "No, and I think that’s also something we’ve stated in our FAQ on Discord." He acknowledged that there were "valid cases," such as with Tekken 7, where games using Denuvo DRM experienced noticeable performance issues.

However, the company’s Anti-Tamper Q&A contradicts this claim. According to the FAQ, "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, himself an avid gamer, emphasized that Denuvo is aware of gamer frustrations with DRM, admitting it’s often "super hard to see, as a gamer, what is the immediate benefit." He argued that the benefits to developers are substantial, citing studies that show games with effective DRM see a "20%" revenue increase by deterring early piracy. He went on to suggest that misinformation from the piracy community has exacerbated misunderstandings, calling on players to recognize Denuvo’s contributions to the industry and avoid vilifying DRM without more substantial evidence.

"These big corporations are… looking for a way to minimize the risk for their investment," said Ullmann. "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 attempts by the company to clear up their alleged misunderstandings, Denuvo continues to draw ire from gamers. On October 15, 2024, Denuvo tried something bold: It opened a public Discord server to invite gamers to discuss issues and ask questions. According to Denuvo, this was "a way to open up our communication and, in a way, ourselves, to your voices."

However, within just two days, Denuvo shut down the server’s main chat after users flooded in to turn the platform into a meme-laden criticism hub. Waves upon waves of users immediately began posting anti-DRM memes, complaints about game performance, and some such messages. The constant barrage overwhelmed Denuvo’s small moderation team, leading them to pause all chat permissions and temporarily reconfigure the server to a read-only mode. Their Twitter (X) posts, however, are still littered with similar responses.

Even though their initial attempt to communicate with gamers failed miserably, Ullmann still seems steadfast in his interview with Rock, Paper, Shotgun. "You have to start somewhere, right?" said Ullmann. "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 the upcoming transparency efforts will alter the community’s views remains uncertain, but Denuvo’s bid to take control of the narrative seems designed to foster a more balanced dialogue between gamers and developers. As Ullmann stated, "This is exactly what we are looking for. Having honest, pleasant conversations with people. Talking about what we all love, which is gaming."