There was a time when the much-maligned Denuvo 'anti tamper' DRM remained uncrackable for months at a time. Favoured by publishers as a way to circumvent software piracy risks, many players have been campaigning for its death even since - usually arguing that publishers assume any and all PC players will steal the game if able or that it'll lead to the growing trend of 'always online' gaming.
Recently, however, a blow as been struck to the once fool-proof DRM measure as its inclusion in a number of recent releases has been nullified by hackers faster and faster. It only took around a week for Sonic Mania to be cracked wide open with even its creator encouraging players to get in touch with Sega to fight the battle against their DRM decisions.
Now players are celebrating another victory following the release of Bethesda's 'The Evil Within 2'. Cracked in a single day, they say time is up for Denuvo and again ask that publishers stop embedding the controversial anti-piracy tool into their games.
The Evil Within 2 - Hands-On Impressions
How Silent Hill influenced The Evil Within 2's town of Union
But it's slightly different this time around. Cracking the DRM of The Evil Within 2 was a sign of victory for the campaigners not because of the speed of which it happened, but the answers it provided. There's no trace of Denuvo in The Evil Within 2 at all. It wasn't used. The reason why this is a big deal for those who lament its existence is purely because the game was confirmed to use it before release - yet didn't ship with it.
The idea here is that Bethesda saw the progress being made on busting Denuvo open in record time and decided it wasn't worth using. Presumably paying big bucks to use a tool designed to save millions of dollars in theft, what's the point of paying if it clearly doesn't work anymore?
Did Bethesda essential say 'you win'? Or are people thinking a little too much too soon?
