The makers of the anti-piracy software Denuvo have recently revealed a new technology called TraceMark for Games, which will help devs track down leaks. Denuvo is mostly known for its DRM software, which is used in several recent and upcoming PC games, such as Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, Dead Island 2, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and Visions of Mana, for example.

Denuvo’s Digital Rights Management (DRM) software was originally released in 2014 and later acquired by Irdeto in 2018. The software quickly became quite controversial, as Denuvo was pretty hard to crack and effectively stopped people from pirating some games, but was also accused of interfering with the performance of those titles. Recently, Irdeto has spread its reach beyond PC games, which led Denuvo to be available for Nintendo Switch last year.

Now, Denuvo’s developer Irdeto has announced TraceMark for Games. According to IGN’s report, this is a new watermark technology that allows devs to add unique and possibly invisible IDs for specific game files. By having files that can be easily identified, it’s expected that the new technology will help developers discover who is leaking their internal gaming files, and possibly discourage more people from sharing this sensitive information. Irdeto’s vice president of new markets, Niels Haverkorn, described the solution as a “leap forward” in protecting developers during a pre-release phase, especially when sending files to content creators and influencers.

While the main product offered by Irdeto is highly controversial, TraceMark for Games will likely be better received. The gaming industry suffers from constant leaks, and some of them are pretty big. For instance, gamers saw Grand Theft Auto 6’s trailer leaked one day before its official release last year. This was very disappointing for the team at Rockstar Games, as it forced the company to unveil its official trailer a day earlier than planned.

Unfortunately, it’s worth considering that Denuvo’s new tech will not be so useful in all cases. For example, the biggest leak of 2023 was caused by ransomware, not an internal employee leaking information. The Insomniac Games leak revealed the company’s next five games, describing a roadmap of projects up to 2030, and would not have been prevented by TraceMark for Games. Nevertheless, it seems that Denuvo’s TraceMark for Games will still be welcome as a means to avoid further leaks in many cases, increasing the security in the game industry.

Posted: Mar 23, 2024 9:07 am
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://gamerant.com/denuvo-anti-leak-tech/