The Steam edition of Ghostwire: Tokyo has decided to remove Denuvo Anti-Tamper. This alteration came along with a recent update, marking the end of Ghostwire: Tokyo's unconventional use of the controversial digital rights management (DRM) tool.

Created by ZeniMax's Tango Gameworks, Ghostwire: Tokyo received favorable reviews upon its release in March 2022. Initially, the PC version of the game did not feature significant anti-piracy or anti-tampering protections aside from Steam's built-in DRM. Surprisingly, Denuvo was integrated into Ghostwire: Tokyo more than a year later, coinciding with its availability on Xbox Series X/S and Xbox Game Pass in April 2023.

Ghostwire: Tokyo Quietly Removes Denuvo

In a recent update, the developer has chosen to reverse its decision once again by eliminating this contentious feature. The patch, first noticed by a Reddit user named lurkingdanger22, was released on April 17, one year and five days after Denuvo was initially added to Ghostwire: Tokyo. Similar to the 2023 update, this latest patch arrived without any formal announcement. Nevertheless, some of the most recent Steam user reviews are already highlighting the removal of Denuvo as the primary reason for their positive feedback.

This development marks the end of Ghostwire: Tokyo's peculiar handling of Denuvo, which had left fans puzzled for the past year. While the controversial anti-tampering solution has been widely used in the industry, it is typically implemented at the launch of a game. This practice is primarily aimed at preventing piracy before the game is cracked.

In contrast, pirates had already circumvented Ghostwire: Tokyo long before the PC version received Denuvo 13 months after its initial release. This decision caused a stir within the fan community, particularly due to the significant increase in the game's file size and allegations of Denuvo-related performance issues. However, these performance concerns were never definitively proven, partly because Ghostwire: Tokyo had encountered performance problems on PC prior to the adoption of the DRM solution.

It appears that the introduction of Denuvo for a year was largely an attempt to combat piracy following the release of Ghostwire: Tokyo Spider's Thread update, which introduced the roguelike mode to the game in April 2023. The removal of Denuvo from Ghostwire: Tokyo now suggests that Bethesda, the game's publisher, has decided not to renew its Denuvo license, typically granted on an annual basis.