The PC version of Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance will incorporate Denuvo Anti-Tamper. The game's use of the controversial digital rights management (DRM) solution has been confirmed by one of the recently surfaced Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance pre-order listings.

Denuvo Anti-Tamper is nothing new for Atlus games, with the studio's history of its usage being almost as old as its modern foray into PC publishing. Specifically, the developer's first title to make use of this technology was the PC port of Persona 4 Golden, released in mid-2020. Although the fandom has sporadically complained about this practice, having previously even mistakenly blamed it for some performance issues in Persona 4 Golden, Atlus's track record with implementing Denuvo is mostly free of controversy, even if the tech itself is not.

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The recent start of the Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance pre-order period has now brought forward the confirmation that the upcoming JRPG will mark yet another Atlus PC release that incorporates Denuvo. That's according to its Steam page, whose list of notices mentions the anti-piracy software as the game's one and only third-party DRM feature.

SMT5: Vengeance Will Be Atlus's 13th PC Game With Denuvo

The last Atlus PC title that launched without Denuvo was Catherine Classic, released in early 2019. The anti-tampering software was then incorporated into the day-one versions of all 12 games that the studio released on Steam over the next half a decade. Although some Japanese developer-publishers are in the habit of removing Denuvo from their titles post-release, Atlus does not subscribe to that approach, even though its parent, Sega, occasionally does. SMT5: Vengeance's Denuvo implementation is hence likely to stay in the game indefinitely.

Atlus PC Games Denuvo Usage History

The fact that the definitive edition of Shin Megami Tensei 5 will use Denuvo has seemingly disgruntled a few vocal fans. "It's lovely to be treated like a criminal," wrote Reddit user SquireRamza in reaction to the news. And while their sentiment gained some online traction, the fandom appears to be far from unanimous on the subject of Atlus's Denuvo use. Another fan hence labeled SquireRamza's comment as an overreaction, while multiple other people posited that this turn of events was to be expected, and wouldn't dissuade them from buying the game.

Most of the online buzz surrounding the upcoming JRPG doesn't mention Denuvo at all. Instead, the majority of fans appear to be more eager to discuss their expectations for Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, especially following Atlus's confirmation of an alternate story route. Called Canon of Vengeance, the diverging path promises another 80-hour adventure meant to shed more light on the events from the base game, which has excited many JRPG aficionados.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

Atlus' Sin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance is the definitive version of the Switch JRPG, one that also includes a new storyline.

Platform(s)

PC , PS5 , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Xbox One , Switch

Released

June 14, 2024

Developer(s)

Atlus

Publisher(s)

Atlus , SEGA

Genre(s)

JRPG