Octopath Traveler II, the brand-new entry in Square Enix’s beloved RPG series, has taken a notable step by removing the controversial anti-tampering technology, Denuvo. The update came to light through Octopath Traveler II‘s change history on SteamDB, which indicates that the third-party digital rights management (DRM) technology, Denuvo, has been removed from the game’s framework.
Denuvo has been conventionally implemented by gaming companies as a solution against cracking and piracy, while also functioning to identify and ban cheaters from multiplayer titles. Apart from Octopath Traveler II, several recently released triple-A titles have also launched with Denuvo, including Redfall and Street Fighter 6.
While Denuvo is intended to safeguard games, several reports have emerged over the years, claiming its negative impact on game performance. Issues raised include graphical bugs, with some instances severe enough to render the game unplayable.
Notable figures within the industry have also raised concerns about Denuvo’s effects. Back in 2018, Director Katsuhiro Harada revealed via Twitter that Denuvo DRM is responsible for frame rate drops in the PC version of Tekken 7. Recently, Harada revealed that Tekken 8 will not include Denuvo, alluding to prior experiences with the technology.
An added concern voiced by the gaming community centers around Denuvo’s potential to render games unplayable due to domain expiration. Reports from 2021 detailed instances where Denuvo-protected games became inaccessible due to domain-related issues, showing a “server not reachable” error, which caused a flurry of complaints across platforms like ResetEra and Steam community pages. This issue has affected major releases such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Football Manager 2022, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and Persona 4 Golden.
Octopath Traveler II, despite launching with Denuvo, has achieved a successful debut, amassing millions of copies sold. Interestingly, some non-players, upon learning about Denuvo’s removal from the game, have expressed a newfound interest in purchasing Octopath Traveler II. This situation highlights how the inclusion of the Denuvo DRM technology, has a significant impact on both the gaming community and potential consumers.
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