After strong backlash from fans, developer id Software is undoing most of the changes it made toDOOM Eternalwith thelatest game update. Specifically, id is stripping out the Denuvo Anti-Cheat Software that it put in the game and which many players had a problem with once it arrived.
At its core,DOOM Eternalplayers felt like Denuvo Anti-Cheat was superfluous for a game whose core content is asingle-player, offline campaign. If those players wanted to embellish the game experience, they felt like it could only helpDOOM Eternal’s replayability.
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Fans evenreview-bombedDOOM Eternalto drive down its aggregate user review scores and to show id Software and publisher Bethesda how unhappy they were with the additions. Many reviews also noted that the performance ofDOOM Eternalon PC had taken a hit and felt like the Denuvo system was causing more problems than the developer intended.
On Wednesday, Creative Director Marty Stratton took to Reddit to clear the air and to promise DOOM Eternal players that they were being heard. In an upcoming update that should arrive in a week, id Software is going to remove the Denuvo Anti-Cheat System. He did explain that the goal of implementing Denuvo was to help protect theBattlemode multiplayerinDOOM Eternaland to set the stage for future modes that might release with DLC.
He also acknowledged thatDOOM (2016)was slow to implement any form of anti-cheat system and players were disappointed by that response. However,DOOMhad a dedicated multiplayer modethat was meant to be more competitive in nature,DOOM Eternal’s Battlemode is a lot more casual in its 2 monster-controlled players versus 1 Doomslayer concept.
But while the Anti-cheat itself was seen as a problem for players, Stratton did want to clarify that it was not determined to be the source of the performance issues. He says that the upcoming update should improve howDOOM Eternalruns on PC by making some changes to customizable skins and VRAM allocation in the game. Those two changes are apparently the culprits that lead toDOOM Eternalrunning poorly; they just coincided with the release of Denuvo.
If nothing else, such a quick response fromid Software and a willingness to remove Denuvoshows that the developer is willing to listen to fans and put their experience above any other changes. Granted, Denuvo might be replaced by a different anti-cheat system if/whenDOOM Eternalreleases more multiplayer modes, but for now the game is back to its state a week ago.
DOOM Eternalis available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, Switch, and Xbox One.
