Seems like the modern Tomb Raider trilogy had Denuvo removed... just to add in requiring an Epic account to launch them, single or multiplayer. But some people are saying it's only for multiplayer? I am downloading Shadow now just to check.
Why do companies feel the need to do this?
B/c they treat everyone - yes, even paying customers - like criminals.
We all accepted this, buying into services like Steam, Epic, etc - just to save some $. Now, all our games are beginning not owned, but rentals.
It's really anything to restrict gamers' rights, so they have control, and to make $ - whether it's DRM (in the old-school sense - of like Securom, Tages, SafeDisc, StarForce, etc), client-app requirements so that say base-game and/or DLC's requires it); etc etc - it's all for the power, control, and $.
I can't even go to the store and get a copy of a game with say disc-check only DRM. They all use Steam, Epic, UPlay, or something - killing the 2nd-hand market. Sure, you could say go on EBay and grab say System Shock 2 on Ebay, from some user trying to rid of it. But, they want to kill that - so that the only copies pressed at retail are tied to a service and/or you buy it from online service, so that they get a piece of the pie. They want to make sure they are in control, so that I buy my games from Steam, Epic, Uplay, etc etc - and it's only for me only; and that I can't resell it to anyone else.
They even keep trying to re-sell us old games and/or upsell us to a remaster/remake, for crying out loud. You know, my old Diablo II retail copy w/ LOD works pretty good and they even patched-out the DRM on that, years ago - provided you follow the instructions to do it. I bet D2R has some annoying Battle.Net app requirement and an online activation/check here & there just to play, even in solo mode. For now, I'll stick w/ old copy & version, thanks.
The sooner they get more of the client-app and/or always online crap pushed - the sooner they can make it the norm; hope gamers accept this crap; and then say push for streaming gaming.
What are we gonna do, when games gets so many DRM styles going - progression crap forced to always-online; required Achievements required to always online; Denuvo and other annoying DRM schemes; client-store app requirements - and then, the game won't work on future OS's when we want to break it out? What are we gonna do, when these servers get pulled? What do we do when Steam, Epic, or any of these services, stores, and/or companies are gone? Well, no more Hitman progression and/or unlocks - looks like we just play the campaign w/out the cool disguises, gadgets, exits, and other cool sand-box stuff that the series really lives off of.
Things are getting even more bleak, with single-player progression in New-Hitman series locked to always-online; and also w/ Back 4 Blood's doing. What's gonna happen to these games, say years from now, when they're old?
We got things like Game Pass and other sub-services, basically telling us: "Games are a service and you don't OWN this game forever."
You know, I can still break-out my GOG or retail copy of Vampire: Bloodlines - and not worry about DRM and/or trying to get it to run. Just go and play, thanks to GOG and/or Wesp's Patch.
With each passing day, we're slowly losing more rights as a consumer. They probably also hope they can sell say Tomb Raider (2013) on DRM platformed like Steam and Epic; don't remove DRM and/or client-crap there; then hope they can double-dip on us so that you can buy the DRM-FREE GOG version over GOG too.
EDIT:
Also worth noting,
Alder Lake (Intel's next CPU with a hybrid microarchitecture design) might have compatibility issues w/ Denuvo - so stuff's really going to get interesting, if dev's and/or pub's don't remove Denuvo in some games and/or if Denuvo don't update their anti-tamper DRM junk. This could be the whole StarForce problem all over again - where games just don't work b/c of hardware and/or software changes, in newer stuff. Ugh.
rigins onward, ff xv) and listen to folks complain that it was better before and you've strayed from your roots, or keep things mostly the same while making minimal changes (farcry, arkham, any forza) and listen to the cookie cutter complaints.
-all idea what the "story" was or what we were doing aside from the next level objective and finding the next saferoom. The PC characters were fine and their quips and interactions were fine but the NPCs and plot are 100% forgettable. I thought the mechanics are fine to good, had no problem with the shooting and thought most weapons differentiated themselves.
