Electronic Arts has officially taken out Denuvo anti-tamper software from Immortals of Aveum. This is probably a move that would have likely been appreciated by PC gamers, however, because the game has struggled since its launch, this change may not be enough to revive players’ interest in the title. Although some fans might hope for a comeback, it’s uncertain if this will make a big difference. But, only time will tell.
A Rocky Launch and a Quick Decline
Released in August 2023, Immortals of Aveum was respected as a unique first-person magic shooter: it had fast-paced spellcasting and insane cinematic storytelling. However, while the game received praise for its visuals and mechanics, critics and players were less impressed with its combat and story. Because of this, it received mixed reviews, with a 72 average score on OpenCritic. Financially, the game fared even worse. Just four months after launch, Immortals of Aveum saw deep discounts, signaling poor sales.
Developer Ascendant Studios also faced major layoffs, cutting around half of its staff shortly after release. Although there were continued updates and bug fixes, the game never managed to gain traction. The Denuvo Removal: A Welcome, but Expected Move. As reported by Dark Side of Gaming, EA quietly removed Denuvo roughly 18 months after the game’s release. This isn’t unusual—many publishers use Denuvo as a piracy deterrent during a game’s initial sales window, but they often remove it later.
PC gamers have for a long time criticized Denuvo for its possible impact on game performance. They often cite increased CPU usage and frame rate drops as major issues. Although its removal is a positive change, it’s unclear if Immortals of Aveum will see any noticeable performance improvements (this is a big concern). However, many players hope for the best—because better performance means a better gaming experience. But only time will tell what the real effects will be.
Aside from some technical issues, Immortals of Aveum faced bigger problems. A former Ascendant Studios developer who worked on the game revealed that it was massively overscoped, with a reported $125 million budget—$40 million of this was spent on marketing. Given that the FPS genre is mostly dominated by multiplayer titles, launching a single-player-only shooter may have also hurt its chances in a (very) competitive market. However, this situation could have been avoided because of the choices made during development. Although the game had potential, the overspending on marketing might not have been the best move.
Dropping Denuvo, although a step in the right direction, is unlikely to change Immortals of Aveum’s fate. This game, because of its commercial failure and ongoing industry struggles, remains a cautionary tale. That said, this just shows how even ambitious projects can miss the mark.
