Square Enix decided to use Denuvo anti-tamper DRM on its forthcoming $70 action-RPG Forspoken.
As DSOG reports, the Japanese publisher quietly updated the Steam page for the game which now notes the use of "3rd-party DRM: Denuvo Anti-tamper." PC gamers who have encountered Denuvo before will likely groan with disappointment and a few may actually cancel their pre-orders due to the problems it can cause.
Back in 2021, it was discovered that removing Denuvo from Shadow of the Tomb Raider on PC resulted in the game's frame rate increasing by up to 30fps. That same year, a number of games "protected" by Denuvo became unplayable because a domain name expired and a server the DRM relied on communicating with was unreachable.
The good news is, Denuvo usually ends up being a temporary measure that is removed after the launch period of a game is over. How long that period lasts is up to the publisher. Forspoken launches on Jan. 24, so avoiding Denuvo could mean waiting until March or even April for a Denuvo-removing patch to appear.
Forspoken holds the promise of offering some unique magic-focused action, an impressive set of moves incorporating parkour, and a free-to-explore open world. It also takes advantage of Microsoft's DirectStorage to help keep load times to a minimum.
You'll probably need a high-end gaming rig in order to play it at a decent frame rate, and the use of Denuvo could mean even meeting the minimum spec might not be enough to ensure smooth gameplay. Square Enix has yet to share what the minimum or recommended spec for the game is, though.