Capcom's Steam Deck Verified Games are being made unplayable with new DRM that only punishes paying customers

News
By Christopher Harper
published

Patching in new DRM years after launch seems unlikely to impact pirates, but actively harms legitimate users who play on Steam Deck or mod games they paid for.

Screenshot of Monster Hunter: Rise from the game's Steam page, where it is currently (erroneously) marked as Steam Deck Verified.
Screenshot of Monster Hunter: Rise from the game's Steam page, where it is currently (erroneously) marked as Steam Deck Verified. (Image credit: Capcom, Valve)

Following controversy earlier last year around a very risqué Street Fighter 6 mod that was accidentally broadcast during an online tournament between Europe's top players, Capcom has been on something of a warpath against all modding of its games. This has been going on for some time, but until recently, there was no evidence of the new "Enigma" DRM being patched into Capcom games fundamentally breaking compatibility or even mods -- until now.

As reflected in the official patch notes for Ver.16.0.2.0 of Monster Hunter: Rise on Steam, Capcom's latest addition of Enigma DRM (2 years after its PC launch with Denuvo DRM) has successfully broken game compatibility for paying customers, particularly Steam Deck users. Despite the game's Verified status (which was well-earned previously), the title now fails to run on Valve's handheld entirely.

So what about those accursed mods? Well, according to FluffyQuack, developer of the Fluffy Mod Manager used by nearly every modern Capcom game, most Monster Hunter: Rise mods still work just fine. You see, unpaid fans are actually pretty good at making sure their favorite game modifications work, especially when those mods are required to have a good experience on the PC platform.

One relatively recent Capcom game on PC still stands out as an example of a game that needs mods to be on par with its console counterparts: Devil May Cry 5. 

Devil May Cry 5 was originally released on PC and console back in March 2019, but received a Special Edition re-release for PS5 and Xbox Series S/X with the launch of those consoles that added back fan-favorite modes and features from previous games, as well as real-time ray-tracing support.

Bafflingly, the PC version of DMC5 never received the Special Edition updates, despite PC hardware obviously being better-suited for its new ray tracing features. DMC5 modders can't exactly replicate that (though they can try with SSGI), but all other Special Edition features have long been restored on PC— some before Special Edition was even announced!

Perhaps instead of going out of its way to punish its happily-paying customers on the PC platform with invasive new DRM, Capcom could focus on keeping a positive relationship with its most dedicated fans. As things are now, Capcom seems intent on making sure that pirates are the ones who have the best experience with their games— adding new DRM this long after launch mostly just feels like misdirected spite aimed at Capcom's own paying customers.

Christopher Harper
11 Comments Comment from the forums
  • bigdragon
    I've bought many games specifically because of mods developed for them. There are many games that aren't appealing in their stock "as-the-developer-intended" implementation. Capcom's actions are foolish here. Hopefully they see a significant hit to their game sales.
    Reply
  • JTWrenn
    DRM has never done much but gotten in the way for paying customers. The non paying customers get a small delay at best then they often get a leaner faster version of the game after DRM is stripped out. Just one more reason to not buy from larger devs. Stick with the small guys and support their games by paying for them.
    Reply
  • mwryder55
    A major problem with DRM, especially with older games, is that OS changes may render the game unusable because of the DRM. I bought Dungeon Siege and after a period of time Microsoft made a change to the OS that broke the game because of the DRM. I had to get a pirated version to play a game I bought as Microsoft didn't release an updated version.
    Reply
  • atomicWAR
    SMH... Anti-consumer moves like these make gamers angry. DRM in games is a bad idea that at best slows your fps and at worst makes games unplayable. All this does is encourage piracy. When will devs wise up to this and embrace their consumers vs insult them? Not soon enough that much is clearly evident.
    Reply
  • evdjj3j
    Good games don't need DRM. I downloaded Baldur's Gate illegally when it first came out because I was afraid it wouldn't be good. The next day I fired up Steam and bought the game because it's good and I wanted to reward the people who made it.
    Reply
  • Neilbob
    evdjj3j said:
    Good games don't need DRM. I downloaded Baldur's Gate illegally when it first came out because I was afraid it wouldn't be good. The next day I fired up Steam and bought the game because it's good and I wanted to reward the people who made it.
    Shareware and demo versions could really do with making a comeback, but I guess that doesn't serve the money-making intentions of most game companies nowadays.

    "You bought the product and played it long enough to realise it wasn't to your taste? Oh, shame. But you've gone a bit too far to be eligible for a refund. Har har! Sucks to be you! Ur moneyz belong 2 me now!"
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    evdjj3j said:
    I downloaded Baldur's Gate illegally when it first came out because I was afraid it wouldn't be good. The next day I fired up Steam and bought the game because it's good and I wanted to reward the people who made it.
    The reason for the DRM is the people that stop at the first part of your statement, and don't continue to the second part.

    (not that I agree with all this overbearing DRM)
    Reply
  • umeng2002_2
    Valve should block adding DRM to already released titles.
    Reply
  • -Fran-
    Execs being clowns again, I see.

    Well, Palworld runs perfectly well in the Steam Deck, so I won't be going to MH any time soon.

    I used to play Rise in the Deck as well. What scumbags. I hope they fix it and don't crap the performance in it as it ran pretty darn well.

    EDIT: They have already issued a fix for it. It's only fair you guys update the article stating as much, please.

    Regards.
    Reply
  • DataPotato
    Agreeing with umeng2002_2, does anyone know if there's a way to appeal to Steam to prevent DRM bring being added to titles after purchase? (i.e. ex post facto bait & switch)
    Reply