Regular readers know the name Denuvo as a once impenetrable and now quite penetrable anti-piracy solution for PC games. Today, however, Denuvo’s parent company, Irdeto, announced that Denuvo technology is available for PS5 developers looking for an easy anti-cheat solution for their games.
The closed ecosystem of console games is generally less susceptible to the types of memory modifications and / or third-party applications that can cause cheating in many online PC games. And while modern consoles like the Switch have seen widespread hardware hacking that makes modding the game relatively simple, the PS5 ecosystem has been resistant to any widely known external attacks (although hackers are already working to hack).
Still, Denuvo says his PS5 middleware helps developers “protect game logic or sensitive data, preventing cheaters from altering sensitive variables and ensuring their reliability”. This system usually works through an obfuscation and encryption process, obscuring the real intent of the game’s internal procedures to make it more difficult for hackers to find out which parts of the code affect different parts of the game. Irdeto says that this extra layer of security has no effect on game performance, a statement supported by Ars’ own testing of Denuvo’s enabled and free versions. Arkham Knight on PC in 2019.
Irdeto sells its PS5 anti-cheat system as a way to “bring justice and fun back to games”, but also as a revenue protection mechanism for developers. Cheating “can lead to less involvement, game traffic and reduced revenue for game publishers,” said Denuvo managing director Reinhard Blaukovitsch in a statement. Irdeto says that several PS5 release titles already include this technology, but did not give details on which ones.
Interestingly, Denuvo is selling this system as a way to protect online gameplay and to “safely reward offline progress.” This means that Denuvo can be used to ensure that players do not try to install mods strictly for one player that short-circuit the usual reward loop for a PS5 game or attempt to circumvent microtransaction payments in the game. “Securing revenue sources in addition to game sales has become increasingly important for publishers who rely on ad revenue, in-game currency, downloadable content (DLC) and, more broadly, the long-term involvement of players in the games, “the company said in a statement.
Today’s PS5 announcement comes just a few months after Irdeto released a version of Denuvo anti-cheat protections that integrate directly with the popular Steamworks API for PC games. Last year, Denuvo also launched a similar product with the aim of protecting the integrity of mobile games.