For the first time in decades, The Sims franchise is about to have some true life sim competition with hyper-realistic inZOI. The game will launch into Early Access on March 28th, with some gamers already getting a first look thanks to the Creative Studio demo available via Steam. However, the game has already garnered its fair share of criticism for issues like demanding PC specs and, most recently, its use of Denuvo anti-tamper software. Now, with Early Access set to arrive in little over a day, Krafton has responded to player concerns about Denuvo with a new statement.
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Even before players got into the game, many gamers had concerns about how inZOI would run on PC due to its relatively demanding specs compared to other life sims. The anti-tamper software Denuvo has long been believed to cause performance issues for games, so inZOI‘s use of the software has many players concerned about further impacts on inZOI performance. In addition, many gamers felt that Krafton did not properly disclose their use of Denovo, which isn’t mentioned on the Creative Studio page despite apparently being present in the game.
Another issue with using Denuvo is its impact on mods. As longtime The Sims 4 fans know, modding is a core part of the life sim experience, and many gamers want to see the creativity of mods available in inZOI as well. Denuvo does not entirely prevent players from using mods in a game, but it can limit the utility of mods. This would potentially place limitations on the types of mods that creators could make for inZOI, which added to player frustrations about the software’s use in the life sim.
Krafton Responds to Denuvo Concerns
The update regarding inZOI‘s use of Denuvo anti-tamper software comes via the game’s official Discord channel. On March 26th, the Producer & Director Kjun shared a lengthy message regarding Krafton’s decision about Denuvo going forward. First, the statement indicates that the use of Denuvo was intended to prevent piracy and illegal distribution of inZOI. They go on to explain that the presence of Denuvo in the inZOI: Creative Studio demo was a result of using the anti-tamper software in the main game branch, with an apology for not properly disclosing that it would be present.
Ultimately, Krafton has decided to remove Denuvo from inZOI entirely for the Early Access launch. The reason for this decision comes down to the fact that Krafton has “come to understand that Denuvo could negatively impact the player experience far more than we originally anticipated.” For now, at least, that means they’re moving forward without the Denuvo anti-tamper software in place.
It’s important to note that the statement does refer specifically to the Early Access build of inZOI. While Krafton is quite apologetic about the undisclosed presence of Denuvo in the Creative Studio demo build, it sounds like a final decision about whether or not to use Denuvo in the final version of inZOI may not yet be made. At any rate, this is a good sign that Krafton does plan to make good on promises to listen to and implement player feedback during the Early Access period.
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The statement does also affirm Krafton’s intention to “make inZOI a highly moddable game.” Part of the game’s Early Access roadmap includes official mod support, planned to launch in May. Removing Denuvo from the Early Access build was a decision partly made to affirm support for mods in inZOI. Kjun wraps up their statement with a note inviting the community to continue sharing feedback about the game so the developer can “make inZOI better for everyone.”
This swift response to player concerns sets Krafton up to impress life sim fans used to slow responses from other game developers, such as The Sims 4‘s EA Games. With Early Access set to begin soon, players will get the full inZOI experience to see how it stacks up in other areas.
What do you think of Krafton’s decision to remove Denuvo from inZOI? Does it make you more excited for the game? Let us know in the comments below!
