Denuvo’s Controversial Anti-Piracy Software Is Now Targeting Nintendo Switch Games

See ya later, emulator.

Avatar photoBy Kieron Verbrugge

Irdeto, the company behind one of the most notorious DRM and anti-cheat solutions for PC games, Denuvo, has announced that it’s bringing its technology to Nintendo Switch in an officially-authorised effort to combat the platform’s rampant piracy and emulation issues.

With brand-new Switch releases frequently winding up pirated and playable on PC-based emulators on day one, or in some cases even before release, the company claims its place as the first “security partner” on The Nintendo Developer Portal will allow developers to better protect themselves from piracy of Switch titles.

While that’s seemingly a huge positive for developers on Switch, the Denuvo name carries with it a bad taste among the PC gaming community thanks to widespread belief that it negatively affects game performance and the fact that it accesses users’ systems on a far deeper level than just about any other PC software or middleware. While there’s no real verdict on just how problematic Denuvo actually is, or how those same issues might manifest in a Switch game, this new is still sure to raise a few eyebrows.

“As gamers, we know first-hand how piracy negatively affects the gaming industry. We’re thrilled to be part of the Nintendo Developers Portal, so that we can provide the latest technologies to help fight this issue for Nintendo Switch players and developers,” said Doug Lowther, CEO of Irdeto on the news. “We witness an increasing need to protect against emulation on PC from game launch, our solution is a must-have for publishers to monetise the games fairly on this platform and also not impact PC game sales.”

Anyone looking for more information on Denuvo and its video game protection offering can find it at the following: https://irdeto.com/denuvo/nintendo-switch-emulator-protection/.