Octopath Traveler 2 Gets Rid Of Denuvo DRM In Latest Update

Octopath Traveler 2 was released in February 2023, and it received a positive reception from critics along with the fandom. The Steam release was also well received, despite the game’s use of Denuvo DRM.

Denuvo is unpopular among gamers for its impact on performance. While many games continue to use DRM to combat piracy, it is usually removed from games after a few months.

Following this tradition, Octopath Traveler 2 has removed Denuvo after six months.

Why it matters: Denuvo DRM is a controversial software that can lead to games underperforming on impressive hardware. This has led to outrage from PC users on various occasions.

Square Enix previously removed Denuvo from Forspkoen after six months. As such, the studio appears to be following a pattern when it comes to the removal of DRM from PC games.

Octopath Traveler 2 has already sold over a million units, but the game will likely see another surge in players during future sales. The update will ensure that existing and future buyers can now enjoy the game without any hitches.

Since Octopath Traveler 2 is an extremely light game, Denuvo’s impacts were unlikely to have made too much of a difference in performance. However, the same cannot be said for all games.

Due to multiple instances of significant performance impacts, Denuvo executives recently defended the software, claiming that it does not lead to perceptible performance differences.

Ghostwire: Tokyo added Denuvo in April, leading to a wave of negative reviews on Steam. This is just one of the instances that highlight the distaste for the DRM among PC users worldwide.

In addition to Octopath Traveler 2, games like Resident Evil Village have removed Denuvo, and Square Enix games like The Diofield Chronicles have done the same in the past.

Future games like Tekken 8 have also been confirmed to skip the DRM, but it remains to be seen if Square Enix will include Denuvo for the upcoming PC port of Final Fantasy 16.