Update: Denuvo replied to our request for comment with what can only be described as complete apathy towards legal emulation. We asked them what would happen if a user wanted to buy a Switch game and then legally emulate it on their PC, but Denuvo simply replied by saying that Switch ROMs "are predominantly obtained from pirate sites" and that usage rights are "subject to the licensing terms, such as the EULA".
Denuvo also confirmed that it's not targeting jailbroken Switch devices with this DRM, "only PC emulation", although it didn't confirm whether the DRM would prevent jailbroken Switches from playing games including the protocol. Original story follows below.
Original story: DRM giant Denuvo has announced new software targeted at eliminating Nintendo Switch emulation piracy on PC. This new Denuvo Switch DRM will supposedly ensure that anyone who wants to play a Switch game "has to buy a legitimate copy", according to Denuvo.
How does this new Denuvo Switch DRM work?
In a press release, Denuvo said its new Switch DRM works to "[prevent] piracy on Switch while blocking unauthorized emulations on PC". In that way, it apparently functions as both a Switch anti-piracy protocol and a preventative measure to stop people from emulating Switch games on PC. It works in a similar way to other solutions, like the recent Denuvo DLC DRM software, inserting checks into a game's code in order to make sure it's not being played on an emulator while also having "no impact on the gaming experience".
According to Denuvo, Switch piracy is rampant; the DRM provider says that although it's impossible to gauge exactly how many players emulate Switch games on PC, the most popular Reddit groups dedicated to emulation and piracy "have more than one million followers each". Denuvo also says that a recent survey found 84% of developers were worried about piracy and tampering. From that perspective, this is a pretty timely addition to Denuvo's lineup, although gamers themselves are likely to be a little less enthusiastic about it.
How is this Denuvo Switch DRM likely to go down?
If Denuvo's history in the gaming community is anything to go by, not very well. Although Denuvo insists its DRM and anti-cheat tech has no bearing on performance, players and developers alike have begged to differ in the past. Other DRM solutions have also been criticized for negatively impacting performance, like in the case of Raji, whose developers removed DRM from the game owing to "unacceptable" playability issues.
It's fair to say that Denuvo doesn't have a good reputation amongst gamers themselves, either. When it was revealed that Dying Light 2 would include Denuvo DRM, fans expressed anger via social media, worrying that the game's performance would be hit as a result of the DRM. Despite these hiccups, Denuvo continues to be the chief DRM solution for the industry at large; the company's anti-cheat software has been made available to PS5 developers and integrated with the Steamworks platform, so it's almost certainly not going away anytime soon.
It remains to be seen how Denuvo's new Switch DRM initiative will be received in the industry, but I'm betting it's not going to be particularly popular with Switch emulation enthusiasts. There are also questions here regarding legal emulation; after all, if you buy a Switch game and emulate it on PC, you're within your rights to do that legally, but this Denuvo Switch DRM could prevent you from doing so. We've reached out to Denuvo for clarification on this and will bring you more as soon as we get it.
