Square Enix Has Removed Denuvo DRM From NieR Replicant on Steam

Publisher and developer Square Enix has removed the controversial Denuvo DRM from the Steam versions of NieR Replicant, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Rise of the Tomb Raider (credit to NME). For those who aren’t aware, Denuvo is an anti-piracy integration software which essentially means it aims to halt any form of game ‘cracking’ leading to free distribution.

While that sounds all well and good, especially for developers who want their titles bought as long as possible before pirating occurs, Denuvo has built a reputation for harming game performance. This serves to negatively affect paying customers who had no intention of pirating. Further, since this software is hard-integrated into games’ codes, the removal process is quite lengthy.

Still, when Denuvo is removed, games reportedly perform far more smoothly than they had with the anti-piracy integration. So, hopefully, these actions will lead to less Denuvo implementation in the future.

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 is a remake of NieR Gestalt, which was released in Japan. The series is a spin-off of the Drakengard series but found fame after the release of NieR: Automata. Some say it was for the action systems others say it was for the attractive characters, but regardless, it’s a rather pretty game.

During gameplay, players will join a rather untraditional party of characters as they each fight against enemies known as Shades. The gameplay also allows players the chance to take on side missions and even fish. Voiced lines have been added to the game as well, with the same cast of voice actors.

In case you missed it, check out our review.

The title also shipped over 1 million units this Summer, so congratulations to Yoko Taro and the rest of the development team for this noteworthy accomplishment.