Business
Denuvo by Irdeto Launches New Solution to Protect Downloadable Content Against Piracy
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Denuvo by Irdeto announced the launch of pioneering technology to protect downloadable content against piracy. Denuvo SecureDLC is the first of its kind in the gaming market and provides opportunities to extend the revenue tail for developers and publishers past the initial launch window.
In addition to the actual game purchase, gaming revenue also comes from selling additional content and microtransaction-based purchases, presenting significant revenue generation opportunities for game developers and publishers. While selling additional content is an important revenue stream, it has become easy to bypass the existing barriers that try to secure DLCs on popular gaming platforms like Steam and Epic. By using public and easily accessible tools, players can automatically generate and install programmes that access downloadable content without paying for it.
While some DLCs are offered for free, players typically must pay additional fees to unlock new content or features. They are usually extensions for a base game and can be anything from cosmetic items, new characters, weapons, and power-ups to big content updates for a game that are only included in certain versions of the game (like a collectors’ edition) or must be purchased separately.
The industry’s first secure solution can be applied to games that are free to play and rely on revenue stream entirely from DLCs, and also on games that are currently protected by the existing Denuvo Anti-Tamper product.
The Denuvo SecureDLC requires a small and simple implementation based on the application programme interface to the game code to address the problem. The platform API is revalidated by the SecureDLC API mechanism, preventing pirate attacks and blocking access when it shouldn’t be granted.
According to Reinhard Blaukovitsch, Managing Director at Denuvo by Irdeto, the new technology is already being successfully used with the current Denuvo Anti-Tamper clients: “Denuvo has become a one-stop shop for game developers to ensure the safety of their game against cheating, tampering, and piracy and to protect the gaming experience. Our current clients, big and small, are ecstatic with the results and we are happy to help them maximise revenue and also enable new business models for these games they spent so much effort building.”