Summary
The Steam version ofGhostwire: Tokyohas removed Denuvo Anti-Tamper. The change rolled out as part of a recent update that spelled the end ofGhostwire: Tokyo’s unusual approach to the controversial digital rights management (DRM) tool.
Developed by ZeniMax subsidiary Tango Gameworks,Ghostwire: Tokyodebuted to decent reviewsin March 2022. The PC version of the game launched with nothing major in the way of anti-piracy and -tampering protections beyond Steam’s native DRM. Instead, Tango Gameworks only added Denuvo toGhostwire: Tokyomore than a year later, just as its supernatural action adventure reached the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox Game Pass in April 2023.
Ghostwire: Tokyo Quietly Drops Denuvo
The developer has now reversed course yet again, having removed the controversial feature in a recent update. The patch, first spotted by Reddit user lurkingdanger22, rolled out on April 17, one year and five days afterGhostwire: Tokyooriginally added Denuvo. Much like the 2023 update, this newest patch arrived without any fanfare. Even so, a few of the game’s latest Steam user reviews are already citing the removal of Denuvo as the main motivation behind their recommendation.
This turn of events spells an end toGhostwire: Tokyo’s strange handling of Denuvo, which has been puzzling some fans for the past year. While the controversial anti-tampering solution has long been seeing widespread use across the industry, it has been almost exclusively implemented into games from day one. That’s largely because publishers' main motivation for using Denuvo in the first place is tocurb piracy, which makes the most sense to do before any given title gets cracked.
In contrast, pirates already had a field day withGhostwire: Tokyolong before its PC version received Denuvo 13 months following its initial debut. The move proved to be controversial among the fandom, not least because it quadrupled the game’s executable size and led to some allegations of Denuvo-related frame rate drops. The latter were never proven conclusively, in part becauseGhostwire: Tokyosuffered from some PC performance issues long before it embraced the DRM solution.
Ultimately, it would appear that this year-long Denuvo era was largely started in order to curb the piracy of theGhostwire: TokyoSpider’s Thread update, which added the eponymous roguelike mode to the game in April 2023. As for why the DRM tech was now removed fromGhostwire: Tokyo, the timing of the move suggests that Bethesda, the game’s publisher, simply decided against renewing its Denuvo license, which is ordinarily issued on a year-long basis.
Ghostwire: Tokyo
WHERE TO PLAY
Tokyo is overrun by deadly supernatural forces as a dangerous occultist causes the city’s population to vanish in an instant. Join forces with a powerful spectral entity on their quest for vengeance and master a powerful arsenal of abilities to unravel the dark truth behind the disappearances.Explore a unique vision of Tokyo twisted by a supernatural presence. From its ultra-modern cityscape to its traditional temples and narrow alleyways, discover a hauntingly beautiful city teeming with Yokai - vengeful spirits that prowl the streets.Discover iconic landmarks like Shibuya Crossing and Tokyo Tower, stunningly rendered with incredible detail and built to take advantage of next-generation technology. Wield a combination of upgradeable elemental powers and ghost-hunting skills to combat the supernatural threat. Use your ethereal abilities to ascend to the top of Tokyo’s skyline and soar over the streets to discover new missions or even get the drop on your enemies.
