Anti-cheat software has been a particularly prickly issue of late, and the latest kerfuffle over the introduction of Denuvo Anti-Cheat to Doom Eternal has been no exception. After Update One rolled out on 15th May, fans expressed unhappiness that Denuvo’s Anti-Cheat software (not the same as Anti-Tamper) was being implemented on the PC version as part of the patch. In particular, concerns were raised that Denuvo’s software was too intrusive, as it uses a kernel-level driver – while some players attributed performance issues to the addition of the anti-cheat software. And, of course, this was all being added after many players had already purchased the game, with no ability to opt-out.
To address the controversy, Doom Eternal executive producer Marty Stratton posted a statement to Reddit explaining the anti-cheat software would be removed as part of the next patch – but defended the team’s reasons for implementing it.
“Despite our best intentions, feedback from players has made it clear that we must re-evaluate our approach to anti-cheat integration,” Stratton wrote. “With that, we will be removing the anti-cheat technology from the game in our next PC update.”
Stratton explained the decision was motivated by a need to implement anti-cheat before the introduction of more competitive play to Doom Eternal, adding that kernel-level integrations are “typically the most effective in preventing cheating” and that Denuvo’s software met their security standards. Doom (2016) came under fire for being slow to implement anti-cheat measures, which Stratton said was a motivating factor for the swift introduction of anti-cheat to Doom Eternal.