Crimson Desert Adds Controversial Feature One Week Before Launch (and Fans Are Concerned)

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RPG players are really excited about the upcoming release of Crimson Desert by Pearl Abyss. Many believe its huge open world could make it the best RPG of 2026, potentially surpassing even Skyrim. The game is scheduled to launch on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on March 19th. However, Pearl Abyss recently added a feature to the Steam version that’s proving unpopular with fans.

An update on the Steam page for Crimson Desert reveals the game now includes Denuvo, a software designed to prevent cheating and piracy. However, Denuvo is unpopular with many gamers. While it stops unauthorized modifications, it’s also known for causing performance problems on PCs, leading to immediate criticism of any game that uses it. It appears Crimson Desert is already facing similar negative reactions.

Crimson Desert Faces Pre-Launch Backlash for Adding Denuvo on Steam

An update to the Steam page for Crimson Desert confirms the game will launch with Denuvo anti-tamper technology in just one week. Many players feel this is a last-minute addition of unwanted software. Fans are particularly upset because those who played preview versions of the game likely experienced it without Denuvo, meaning the launch version could perform differently than expected.

A recent Reddit comment perfectly captures the frustration many feel when game developers unexpectedly release a game with performance problems. Denuvo, a security technology, is often criticized because it frequently causes those very issues on PC, like lower frame rates, slow loading, and stuttering. Considering how many recent large RPGs have launched with performance problems on PC, fans are worried about how adding Denuvo might affect the PC version of Crimson Desert.

They added Denuvo.
byu/alpha2828 inCrimsonDesert

As a big fan of Crimson Desert, I’m a little worried about the recent news about Denuvo. It’s not the first game to get some heat for using it – remember inZOI? They actually removed it before launch because of the fan reaction. What’s really frustrating here is that everyone was so excited about how well the game was running on PC, and now we’re wondering if Denuvo was secretly in those early versions we all tested. It just feels like a step backward after all the positive feedback!

Despite the problems people have had with Denuvo, this worry might not be justified. Journalist Paul Tassi reports that Pearl Abyss says the preview versions and benchmarks used the same Denuvo technology as the final game. If that’s true, then those previews should give a good idea of how well the RPG will perform on PCs when it launches on March 17th.

Recent news has led many players to consider switching from PC to consoles for this game. Crimson Desert is also coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, giving players an alternative if they’re worried about Denuvo impacting their PC’s performance – as long as they own one of those consoles and haven’t already pre-ordered the game on Steam.

What are your thoughts on Crimson Desert adding Denuvo so near its release date? Share your opinion in the comments and discuss it with others in the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-03-13 16:44