Games: Copy protection for games does not have to last long

"There is little justification for using (copy protection) Denuvo (for computer games for more than three months)," summarizes William Volckmann from the Institute for Private Capital at the University of North Carolina, "especially since Denuvo can have negative technical side effects and is generally rejected by gamers." Initially, however, the use of copy protection (DRM, Digital Restriction Management) can pay off financially for the game studio.

Volckmann is an economist and mathematician. He examined the effects of Denuvo DRM on the revenue generated by PC games and analyzed 86 games with Denuvo DRM published on Steam from September 2014 to the end of 2022. Initially, he did not find any characteristics that explain why DRM is cracked more quickly for certain games than for others. It is therefore not due to price or user ratings; more expensive or better-received games are not cracked faster than others.

If they are cracked, the sales generated with the games are initially lower than with comparable computer games that have not been cracked. However, this difference decreases with each week after release. In the first twelve weeks after release, revenues are on average 15 percent (median 20 percent) lower.

No matter

After that, however, PC games generate so little revenue that it makes practically no difference whether the DRM protection is still in place or has been cracked. Publishers could therefore remove the unpopular DRM "with minimal losses (and potential gains from consumers who strongly dislike DRM)", concludes the researcher.

Volckmann's study Revenue effects of Denuvo digital rights management on PC video games will be published in the first 2025 issue of the journal Entertainment Computing. The study can already be read online for a good 50 euros.

(ds)