Bethesda Quietly Removes Denuvo DRM from Ghostwire: Tokyo

Bethesda and Tango Gameworks have quietly removed Denuvo DRM technology from Ghostwire: Tokyo on PC as part of a recent update.

The controversial anti-piracy measure was removed (via SteamDB) as part of an unscheduled update that arrived earlier today. This comes more than two years after Ghostwire: Tokyo originally launched, and with no comment or patch notes from the developers, it’s unclear why the move was made.

Although Bethesda hasn’t officially commented on Denuvo’s removal, there are many who will no doubt be pleased to hear it’s gone. The software’s primary use allows it to keep associated games from being tampered with, with plenty of developers using it as a roadblock against those looking to pirate their games. Many players, meanwhile, have reported that Denuvo negatively impacts in-game performance and the overall user experience regardless of whether a game was pirated or purchased legitimately.

Bethesda and Tango launched Ghostwire: Tokyo in 2022, but the creative action-adventure game didn’t originally come with Denuvo. As reported by PC Gamer, the DRM technology was added more than a year after the base game was released. That update brought along a plethora of other features as part of a content drop called Spider’s Thread. It’s unclear how else today’s update affected the overall experience past Denuvo’s removal.

IGN has reached out to Bethesda for comment.

Bethesda moved to take Denuvo away from Doom Eternal, a game that launched in 2020, last September. Last month, Denuvo announced new technology that would allow game developers to track down potential leakers.

For more on Ghostwire: Tokyo be sure to read out 7/10 review. We loved the game’s detailed, neon-lit world but came away a bit unsatisfied, saying, “With superb visual design and an incredibly well-realised rendition of Tokyo, Ghostwire gets a lot right, but just doesn’t quite have the gameplay chops to push it over the top.”

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.