Crack and Tear: Denuvo remains one of the most controversial technologies in modern PC gaming. While major publishers rely on the DRM to protect sales during a game's launch window, many players argue it can hurt performance and limit ownership. Now the system has taken a notable hit, as a new figure in the anti-Denuvo scene has cracked one of the biggest releases of the year.
A "cracker" known as Voices38 recently shared their latest release: a Denuvo-free version of Doom: The Dark Ages. The newest entry in id Software's FPS franchise has now entered the wild world of PC piracy, though it remains an 81 GB download with significant hardware requirements, including a powerful gaming GPU.
Doom TDA is the first major Denuvo-protected release from 2025 to be successfully cracked. In the release's "NFO" notes, Voices38 said that Denuvo games are becoming increasingly difficult to crack, which is why they have set up a donation campaign to acquire new gaming hardware. The additional equipment will also be used to improve the stability of future cracks.
Voices38 added that the next Denuvo-free release might "surprise" gamers, leaving speculation open about which game will be cracked next. Many believe the upcoming release could be Black Myth: Wukong, the immensely popular action-RPG based on the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West with a darker tone. Game Science released Black Myth: Wukong in 2024 and continues to pay a Denuvo license to keep the game out of pirates' hands.
Regardless, Voices38 is establishing themselves as a major force in the growing anti-DRM movement. The unknown developer began releasing cracked Denuvo games a few months ago and has already removed the controversial DRM from many older titles. The coder recently stated that they plan to focus on more recent releases, though these will take time due to the technology's complexity and the effort required to develop a fully working crack.
It is unclear whether Voices38 is part of the traditional Warez scene, but they appear to take a friendlier approach to P2P sharing and the broader piracy community. The cracker also demonstrates a noticeably more level-headed approach to public interactions, whereas "Empress" – the previous champion of the Denuvo-cracking scene – was known for erratic announcements and rage-filled rants.
Empress no longer appears to be active in the Denuvo scene, while Voices38 is reportedly focused on becoming the new worst nightmare for the Austrian DRM maker.
Denuvo has proven effective at protecting a game's revenue during its initial launch period. However, gamers have consistently complained about the DRM's negative impact on performance. Denuvo maintains that the technology does not affect gameplay, but the debate over its true impact continues.