Last month, Capcom made a noteworthy adjustment to the digital rights management (DRM) software for the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4 on Steam. This change, however, did not go as smoothly as anticipated, leading to significant performance issues that frustrated players who had previously enjoyed a seamless gaming experience.
Performance Issues Spark Outcry
In early February, Capcom unexpectedly replaced Denuvo DRM with Enigma, a solution that has garnered its own share of criticism. Almost immediately, players began to report noticeable drops in performance, particularly during intense gameplay sequences. YouTuber ItalicMaze took it upon himself to compare the game’s performance with and without the Enigma DRM using a mod to revert to the previous version. His findings revealed a troubling decline in frame rates, especially during action-packed moments.
Further analysis by Digital Foundry corroborated these concerns, indicating an approximate 20-percent decrease in performance. The backlash from the gaming community was swift and vocal, prompting Capcom to reassess their decision.
Swift Response from Capcom
On March 3, just 28 days after the initial update, Capcom responded to the outcry by removing the Enigma DRM from Resident Evil 4. This change was documented in the SteamDB changelog, indicating that the game is now free from DRM restrictions. Kotaku has reached out to Capcom for confirmation regarding the removal of Enigma and whether it could potentially make a return in the future.
This incident is not an isolated one for Capcom; a similar scenario unfolded with Resident Evil Village in 2021, where pirated versions reportedly outperformed the official Steam release due to the absence of DRM. In April 2023, Capcom removed Denuvo from Resident Evil Village without replacing it, suggesting a shift in their approach to DRM.
As the dust settles on the RE4 situation, one can only hope that Capcom has learned from this experience. The negative press and performance setbacks may serve as a cautionary tale, steering the company away from implementing problematic DRM solutions in their future PC titles.
