Ghostwire: Tokyo dev removes controversial anti-cheat Denuvo

A recent unscheduled update hit Ghostwire: Tokyo owners, with the wildly controversial anti-cheat Denuvo suddenly scrubbed from the game’s files. No word on why, but we’re sure most everyone is glad to see it go away.

A year after launch, as part of the Spider’s Thread DLC, Ghostwire: Tokyo developer Tango Gameworks — under the Bethesda Softworks umbrella — added the DRM software, much to the dismay of gamers worldwide. Now, it seems, based on SteamDB, it’s going the way of the dodo. Pulling it does align with a September decision to yank the software from Doom Eternal, which launched all the way back in 2020. Interestingly, the game was supposed to launch with Denuvo but it never did, a later patch included it, and then patched out, and then added. To gamers, the software ends up negatively affecting their experience.

Denuvo’s notorious for negatively impacting players, even if they paid for the game. Chief among the negative impacts include noticeable performance drops, which for PC players is all the more frustrating and unacceptable. At this point, it’s anyone’s guess as to why the DRM software is now getting pulled from Bethesda’s library.

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Gabe has been a gamer since he was young, playing games like Pajama Sam, Freddi Fish, Guitar Hero, and whatever looked cool on GameFly. Ever since 2018, he's been infatuated with the inner workings of the gaming and entertainment industries, covering a wide range of topics from video games to TV and film. Starting as a contributor for PSX Extreme, he's worked his way up to its Managing Editor. Using what's he learned over the years, he founded Smash Jump to remind everyone to smash jump.