Capcom Reverses Resident Evil Revelations Update with Enigma DRM
Capcom has rolled back a recent update to the 11-year-old game Resident Evil Revelations after the inclusion of a controversial digital rights management (DRM) system called Enigma Protector. The DRM came to light when Steam players reported errors upon launching Revelations, including a reduced and unstable framerate, as well as broken mods.
The backlash was swift, with Steam users flooding the game’s reviews with complaints about Enigma. In response, Capcom decided to revert the game to its previous state on January 9, as seen on SteamDB. The company acknowledged the issue and stated that once it is resolved, the update will be reintroduced. However, Capcom did not clarify whether Enigma was responsible for the technical problems plaguing Revelations or if it would be included in future updates.
Eurogamer has reached out to Capcom for further comments on the matter.
Interestingly, this is not the first time Capcom has employed Enigma Protector in its older games. Last year, the company removed Denuvo from Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection only to replace it with Enigma. A similar scenario occurred with the remaster of Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.
It seems that Capcom’s recent decision to rely on Enigma Protector may be linked to their public announcement equating all mods to cheats and warning of potential reputational damage caused by mods that are offensive to public order and morals.
However, these measures have sparked debate. Some argue that there should be a distinction between mods used in a decade-old single-player game and mods that provide competitive advantages in online multiplayer contexts. The accidental display of modded nudity during a live-streamed Street Fighter 6 tournament further adds complexity to the discussion.
Concerned users took to Enigma’s forum to voice their dissatisfaction and discuss how Enigma Protector negatively impacted the performance of Resident Evil Revelations. The response from an administrator was met with widespread criticism. The message read, Curious, what action do you need from us? And why do you blame us that someone used our software? Someone used it, we did not force them to. Where do you believe our guilt lies? And are you upset because you can no longer use cheats?
The controversial response further fueled discontent, leading to the removal of the entire thread. Notably, there is limited publicly available information about the company behind Enigma Protector, which is a relatively unfamiliar name in the realm of anti-tamper measures in video games.
In conclusion, Capcom’s decision to incorporate Enigma Protector into its games has faced significant pushback from players. The reversal of the Resident Evil Revelations update indicates that the issues caused by Enigma are being addressed. However, the controversy surrounding Enigma DRM and its impact on performance and player experience sheds light on the ongoing debate surrounding the use of mods and the implementation of DRM in gaming.
