Games

Capcom's Misguided DRM Update Disrupts Monster Hunter's Momentum

Capcom's decision to persist with DRM in its PC releases has caused significant disruption for key franchises, notably impacting the excitement surrounding Monster Hunter.
Capcom's Misguided DRM Update Disrupts Monster Hunter's Momentum

Highlights

  • Capcom's shift to Enigma DRM has led to performance issues in several PC ports, including Resident Evil: Revelations, hampering the gaming experience for players.
  • The implementation of DRM software has rendered Monster Hunter Rise unplayable on the Steam Deck, impeding its resurgence among players, especially following the announcement of Monster Hunter Wilds.
  • Despite ongoing efforts to address the issue, the DRM debacle has adversely affected the player base of Monster Hunter Rise during its anticipated resurgence after the reveal of Monster Hunter Wilds.

Following the tremendous surge in player engagement sparked by the unveiling of Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom's persistence in integrating DRM software has now disrupted players' access to Monster Hunter Rise on a platform ideally suited for the game – the Steam Deck. The announcement of Monster Hunter Wilds at The Game Awards was a standout moment, igniting a substantial resurgence in Steam player numbers for the acclaimed Monster Hunter World. Rise was also gaining momentum as new players delved into the two most recent entries ahead of Wilds, but the DRM debacle is derailing the excitement surrounding Monster Hunter Wilds.

Capcom has a well-documented history of incorporating DRM software into its PC game ports to safeguard against unauthorized modifications. However, while the intent to protect the company's intellectual property is understandable, the implementation of digital rights management often inadvertently diminishes game performance on PC. Monster Hunter Rise is highly compatible with the Steam Deck, especially given its origins as a Switch exclusive. Its current incompatibility with the device is undoubtedly hindering its resurgence among players.

Capcom's DRM Update Disrupts Monster Hunter Rise

Challenges Arising from Capcom's DRM Software

Throughout its documented history of integrating DRM software into PC releases, Capcom primarily relied on Denuvo's DRM to deter undesirable mods or user manipulation of its titles. However, the recent transition to Enigma DRM resulted in significant performance issues for several older PC ports. One affected title was the PC version of Resident Evil: Revelations, which faced considerable backlash due to its DRM update, prompting Capcom to entirely remove DRM from the game.

The DRM update for Monster Hunter Rise swiftly rendered the game incompatible with the Steam Deck, which operates games using Linux-based firmware instead of Windows. Nevertheless, resourceful Steam Deck users have reported that adjusting the game's launch preferences and utilizing Proton to launch the game enables it to run. However, this serves as a temporary fix for an issue that Capcom is diligently working to resolve.

Capcom's DRM Setback for Monster Hunter

While Capcom has acknowledged the issue with Monster Hunter Rise and is actively working on a remedy, the game is likely to become playable on the Steam Deck in the near future. However, the broader impact has been on Monster Hunter's resurgence following the announcement of Monster Hunter Wilds. In the weeks subsequent to Wilds' announcement, Monster Hunter World has experienced a significant surge in player numbers. Given the substantial time investment required to complete Monster Hunter World, Rise was just starting to witness a similar rise in engagement on the Steam Charts.

An analysis of the daily player count reveals a growing disparity between Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise, with nearly 96,000 concurrent players for World compared to Rise's 15,000 in the last 24 hours. While various factors could contribute to such discrepancies, such as the extensive gameplay offered by Monster Hunter World, it is regrettable that the DRM update and the loss of Steam Deck compatibility for Rise coincided with its gradual resurgence since hitting an all-time low in August 2023.

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