Denuvo Anti-Cheat technology is now available for developers and publishers to use on PS5 as middleware. The company says it's joined the PlayStation 5 Tools and Middleware program, which aims to provide developers with tools to use in creating games for Sony's console.
What will Denuvo Anti-Cheat look like on PS5?
According to Denuvo, its Anti-Cheat tech is intended to "secure both online gameplay as well as securely reward offline progress". In essence, Denuvo Anti-Cheat guards against players cheating and using hacks in online games. A number of games already incorporated Denuvo Anti-Cheat at the PS5's launch, so if you have a PS5, there's a good chance you've been using the tech already. Denuvo didn't specify which games featured the tech, however. Anti-Cheat runs on both multiplayer and single-player games to prevent cheating, so it could be running in any of the major PS5 launch titles.
Denuvo says that its tech has "no negative impact on in-game performance" and that it doesn't interrupt developer workflow, either. There's been some controversy around this, however. When the tech was incorporated into Doom Eternal last year, some gamers complained that it had broken the game in some circumstances, making it unplayable on their systems. Denuvo, however, said there was "no reason" to believe its Anti-Cheat software had caused the problem. If Denuvo is correct and the Anti-Cheat technology is already running in some PS5 games, there haven't been any major complaints, so you're unlikely to notice it on a moment-to-moment basis.
What does this mean for PS5 gamers?
As a gamer, you're unlikely to feel a big impact from Denuvo's announcement. The Anti-Cheat tech is mostly intended for developers and publishers to help them root out cheaters and stop their code being messed with. However, it should ensure a fair playing field in multiplayer games. Denuvo is expanding its Anti-Cheat reach and trying to incorporate it in more developer ecosystems; earlier this year, it was added to Steamworks as an option for developers and publishers to build directly into their Steam games.
It's also important to remember that Denuvo Anti-Cheat is not the same as Denuvo Anti-Tamper, which has been significantly more controversial. Even developers seem to have problems with Denuvo Anti-Tamper; Tekken 7 director Katsuhiro Harada directly blamed performance issues in his game on Denuvo Anti-Tamper tech. That hasn't happened so far with Denuvo Anti-Cheat, but we'll have to wait and see what impact, if any, it has on PS5 games. Watch this space.
How do you feel about Denuvo opening up its Anti-Cheat software as PS5 middleware? Let us know in the comments below!