In recent months, the rumor mill has delivered rumors and leaked information about Tekken 8. However, amid all of the chatter, the name of a controversial anti-piracy software, Denuvo, has become rather contentious.
To many, Denuvo is an unwelcome visitor that sneaks into their gaming parties unannounced. Known to accompany big titles like Payday 3 and Far Cry, Denuvo is notorious for its alleged interference with game performance. Such claims are far from unreasonable. In spite of multiple attempts to refute accusations over the years, there's evidence proving that games using Denuvo DRM software experience significant performance loss, either in terms of frame rates or boot times.
Given the controversial nature of this anti-piracy system, it was hardly surprising that a recent discovery in the End User License Agreement (EULA) of Tekken 8, indicating the inclusion of Denuvo, caused a stir. The evidence seemed solid. As explicitly stated, "This game is protected by Denuvo Anti-Tamper technology."
However, as quickly as the controversy started, the long-time Tekken director, Katsuhiro Harada, was even quicker, if a bit miffed, to defuse it.
In a world where developers often respond to fan complaints with rehearsed PR responses, Harada's style is refreshingly direct. When a fan - going by the Twitter name PC_enjoyer - pointed out the presence of Denuvo as per the EULA, he had quite the response. He boldly declared, "This EULA is probably simply a copy/paste of TEKKEN7 or something... Anyway, I've no plans to introduce Denuvo or anything else in TEKKEN8." And, lest anyone miss his point, he added, "Stop your tedious allergic reactions to every single thing & sit quietly (sit the hell down)."
