Huge Disaster On Discord...

Summary

In this video, the speaker vents frustrations over Denuvo DRM, highlighting its negative impact on performance and user experience in PC gaming. They share personal experiences with games like *Metaphor: Refantasio* and *Resident Evil Village*, where Denuvo caused stuttering and limited access to legally purchased titles. The video critiques DRM as anti-consumer, arguing that it punishes legitimate players while offering minimal protection against piracy. Denuvo's failed attempt at improving its image through a Discord server adds to the controversy, reinforcing the speaker’s call for the removal of DRM after a game’s release window.

Takeaways

• 😀 Denuvo DRM is designed to prevent piracy but often causes significant performance issues for legitimate gamers, particularly when switching between multiple devices like Steam Deck and PC.
• 😡 Denuvo's anti-piracy measures can trigger false positives, locking users out of their legally purchased games for 24 hours due to the DRM system misidentifying legitimate actions as piracy.
• 🎮 Some games with Denuvo, like *Resident Evil Village*, exhibit stuttering and poor performance on high-end systems, while cracked versions run more smoothly, highlighting the negative impact of DRM on legal customers.
• 💸 Denuvo is more effective at protecting early sales of a game but ends up punishing paying customers, often causing frustration and negatively affecting the gaming experience.
• ⚡ Gamers have voiced strong opposition to Denuvo's practices, with some claiming that DRM benefits pirates more than it protects legitimate buyers, leading to significant backlash from the gaming community.
• 💻 Denuvo has been criticized for requiring constant online verification and limiting the number of devices on which games can be played, which can be restrictive for gamers who own multiple devices.
• 🛑 Denuvo's failed attempt to improve its image by launching a Discord server was met with severe criticism and inappropriate comments, ultimately leading to the server’s shutdown within 48 hours.
• 🔍 Denuvo’s implementation often results in unexpected bugs and performance issues that slip through QA testing, which further harms the gaming experience, as seen in cases like *Tekken 7* and *Persona 5*.
• 📉 The gaming community’s frustration with Denuvo is rooted in the belief that DRM unnecessarily penalizes consumers and harms the preservation of games over time.
• 🏆 Mudahar suggests that DRM should be removed from games after a certain period (e.g., a year) to enhance the gaming experience, making the game more accessible to legal users without damaging performance.
• 🌐 Overall, DRM like Denuvo is seen as a necessary evil for protecting early sales but can alienate paying customers, and there is a call for more consumer-friendly approaches to digital rights management.

Q & A

What is Denuvo and why is it controversial in the gaming community?

Denuvo is a digital rights management (DRM) technology designed to prevent piracy by protecting game code from tampering. It's controversial because it can cause performance issues, restrict legitimate players, and is seen as a barrier to fully owning and enjoying games, particularly on PC.

What performance issues are associated with Denuvo in PC games?

Denuvo has been linked to performance issues like stuttering, reduced frame rates, and overall slower performance in games. The speaker references examples like *Resident Evil Village* and *Tekken 7*, where even high-end systems experienced significant performance drops when running the legally purchased versions with Denuvo, compared to cracked versions.

How does Denuvo's activation limit affect gamers, particularly on multiple devices?

Denuvo imposes an activation limit, restricting users to only five activations per day. This can cause problems for players who switch between devices, like a Steam Deck and a PC, especially when they are offline or when using multiple hardware setups. The speaker provides an example of *Star Wars Jedi Survivor* where this caused a 24-hour lockout of the game.

What is the general view of the speaker regarding DRM, specifically Denuvo?

The speaker is strongly critical of DRM, especially Denuvo, arguing that it punishes paying customers more than it prevents piracy. They believe that DRM harms the gaming experience by imposing restrictions and technical issues that aren't present for pirated versions of the same game.

Why does Denuvo attempt to protect games with DRM despite its reputation?

Denuvo and other DRM systems are used by game developers and publishers to protect early sales from piracy, especially in the crucial first year or so after release. The goal is to prevent illegal copies of the game from spreading too quickly, although it is understood that such protections are often cracked over time.

What happened when Denuvo launched its official Discord server, and why did it fail?

Denuvo launched a Discord server to engage with the gaming community and improve its image. However, the server was quickly flooded with negative comments and criticism, leading to its shutdown after just 48 hours. The gaming community heavily criticized Denuvo for its anti-consumer practices, resulting in the server's collapse.

How does the speaker view the issue of DRM in terms of game ownership?

The speaker views DRM as a threat to true ownership of games. They argue that DRM systems like Denuvo prevent players from fully owning their games, instead only granting them licenses. The speaker expresses a preference for DRM-free platforms like GOG, where players can download offline installers and truly own their purchases.

What is the speaker's stance on the relationship between piracy and DRM effectiveness?

The speaker suggests that DRM, particularly Denuvo, often fails to prevent piracy effectively. In fact, they argue that DRM systems may unintentionally provide a better experience for pirates, as cracked versions of games sometimes run better than their legally purchased counterparts due to the removal of DRM restrictions.

What are some specific examples given by the speaker of games affected by Denuvo's DRM?

The speaker mentions several games affected by Denuvo's DRM, including *Resident Evil Village*, where performance issues were highlighted, and *Persona 5*, where an activation server issue prevented players from accessing the game. They also discuss *Tekken 7*, where the DRM caused in-game stuttering due to a faulty protection mechanism triggered by specific character moves.

What does the speaker propose as a solution to the issues caused by Denuvo?

The speaker suggests that DRM should be removed after a game’s initial sales period to improve the functionality and experience for legitimate players. They argue that this would protect early sales while allowing players to enjoy the game without the restrictions and performance issues caused by DRM.