Doom Eternal on PC sends Denuvo Anti-Cheat to hell with next update
Doom Eternal will kill off the recently added Denuvo Anti-Cheat software in the game’s next update on PC.
After fans reported they were unable to play Doom Eternal’s campaign without installing the divisive anti-cheat software, developer id Software announced that it would be removed in update 1.1.
In a candid post on the Doom subreddit, executive producer at id Software Marty Stratton stressed that the decision to implement Denuvo Anti-Cheat wasn’t forced upon them by Doom Eternal’s publisher Bethesda, and that despite their best intentions, feedback from players has made it clear the company must reevaluate its approach.
“At a minimum we must consider giving campaign-only players the ability to play without anti-cheat software installed, as well as ensure the overall timing of any anti-cheat integration better aligns with player expectations around clear initiatives – like ranked or competitive play – where demand for anti-cheat is far greater.” said Stratton.
Stratton also made it clear that any performance or stability issues players have had with the game are not down to the anti-cheat software. “Many have unfortunately related the performance and stability issues introduced in Update 1 to the introduction of anti-cheat. They are not related.”
Hacked off
Update 1.1 will fix several crashes that are occurring when players equip customizable skins, and the developer has also identified and fixed a number of other memory-related crashes that should improve overall stability.
It’s impressive to see a developer react so swiftly to complaints from a game’s community, particularly as tackling cheats is an issue that is difficult to stop without impeding on players who stick to the rules.
We’ve seen blockbuster titles such as Call of Duty: Warzone wage war on cheats, enabling two-factor authentication and other measures in a bid to deter a small minority who only want to ruin the fun for everyone else.