- IO Interactive has added Denuvo DRM to 007 First lighta few days before the launch
- Users on Steam have expressed frustrations and started refund requests
- Denuvo is a controversial DRM due to the potential impact on performance and other PC limitations
Players have been eager to get started 007 First lightwhich is just days away from its May 27, 2026 launch, but a recent controversial move by IO Interactive has left fans upset.
As reported by Notebookcheck, developer IO Interactive has added Denuvo DRM to 007 First light ahead of launch, and several Steam users have begun requesting refunds. This comes amid a noticeable trend of game publishers adding the controversial DRM to games only after accepting pre-orders.
Unsurprisingly, fans are concerned about the impact Denuvo will have on game performance and, perhaps most importantly, the limitations caused by DRM (especially for SteamOS users when switching Proton versions).
This includes the long-term consequences that can stem from Denuvo’s invasive nature on users’ PCs, as it has kernel-level access, which is essentially the highest level of authority on a system.
Users have taken to the Steam forums to share frustrations, with one in particular saying: “Off the wishlist it’s coming. Denuvo will be passed day one or sooner and I’m waiting for a steep sale on a third party site to buy this now when it should be what I’m diving into at launch next week.”
User complaints suggest that IO Interactive, and frankly, many other game publishers, are not forthcoming when it comes to Denuvo add-ons, which only seem to happen after pre-orders are made available.
While DRM is used to prevent piracy, as it has successfully done for the past few years, this is no longer the case, with several versions of games available via the Hypervisor crack and an alarming number of playable builds being leaked before their official launch.
Denuvo is more negative for consumers than positive, but unfortunately is a potential removal from 007 First light is unlikely at this stage.
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