Ghostwire: Tokyo update adds Denuvo DRM one year after launch

While it is pretty typical to see new games launching with Denuvo in place, we rarely see games adding the controversial DRM post-release. This week following Ghostwire: Tokyo's Game Pass release and big Spider Thread update, Bethesda has implemented Denuvo. 

The new Spider Thread update for Ghostwire: Tokyo does indeed include Denuvo, as spotted by DSOGaming. It is an odd move, as the game was previously available on PC without the DRM in place. This creates an odd scenario where the game is technically available to pirates, but the new content introduced in the latest update will not be available. On the other end of the spectrum, legitimate buyers of the game will now have to deal with Denuvo, which is often controversial due to potential performance impact.

It is also a pain for PC benchmarkers, as Denuvo games have a limited number of hardware detection changes. If you switch CPUs five times in a short period of time, Denuvo produces an activation error.

Bethesda is no stranger to Denuvo and has used the service with other games in the past. Still, typically we see games launch with Denuvo, and then Denuvo will be removed a year or two after launch to avoid continued licensing costs. Adding Denuvo a year after a game has come out is unprecedented.

When Denuvo first became available years ago, it quickly gained a reputation as the strongest DRM around, leaving some games uncrackable for months or years. Eventually, piracy groups were able to poke holes in the software and release cracked games again at a fairly swift rate, but this came to a halt in 2022.

While Hogwarts Legacy was cracked quickly after release this year, other recent major titles from late 2022 and early 2023 remain protected. Given that Denuvo is offering true launch-window protection once again, we should expect to see most major PC games using it throughout the rest of the year.

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KitGuru Says: Given this move from Bethesda, I think we can expect to see Denuvo implemented with Starfield at launch. 

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