Is Split Fiction Denuvo protected?

Split Fiction is the latest project directed by Josef Fares and developed by Hazelight Studios. It is a spiritual successor to A Way Out and It Takes Two, and like its predecessors, this new game seems to be not protected by any software to combat piracy. Every game developed by Hazelight Games, apart from A Way Out, was released without Denuvo and the developers are not about to break that streak.

While this increases the game's chances of being cracked at launch, Split Fiction will be launched without Denuvo.

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Split Fiction is not protected by any DRM

Hazelight Studios must have thought of countermeasures against piracy early on (Image via Electronic Arts)

For the unversed, Denuvo is essentially an anti-cheat software for video games and also helps combat piracy. Older Hazelight Studio games like A Way Out and It Takes Two never had this software when they launched years ago, and it seems like director Josef Fares is not interested in using it for Split Fiction.

The game developers have not mentioned using Denuvo or other digital rights management software. Normally, games that launch on Steam would reveal if there are any third-party DRMs used, like Origin for A Way Out. Perhaps the developers opted out because it can cause noticeable performance issues.

The gaming community has been vocal about the negative impact of Denuvo and other DRM software effecting their gaming experience. While the software is designed to protect the game from being meddled with, some problems could ruin the gaming experience.

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Denuvo could tamper with the game's overall performance

Older games that used Denuvo in the past have experienced significant performance issues. Perhaps Hazelight Games is trying everything they can to avoid using any DRM software, such as Denuvo or Origin, to preserve the gameplay experience, especially since it is a co-op game with many moving parts and factors.

Split Fiction doesn't need to be held back from a messy and poorly optimized port (Image via Electronic Arts)

Piracy may not seem like a big deal for Split Fiction, especially if you only have to buy one copy at full price to gain access to another. Hazelight Studios introduced a new program called Friend's Pass in 2020 before It Takes Two was released. With this feature, players can gift a free copy to their buddy and be their player two for the entire game.

The game also features cross-play along with the Friend's Pass, meaning you can gift a copy to a player on a different console or platform.

Denuvo was meant to be another layer of security to protect games from being pirated, and any Hazelight Studios game cannot be played alone.

The publisher, Electronic Arts, has used some DRM in previous games, but it seems to be on a case-by-case basis. The decision to use Denuvo or other DRMs has always been up to the developers. Older EA titles had Denuvo, but it was removed shortly after due to player backlash.

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Conclusion

Split Fiction may not need Denuvo, Origin, or any other DRM to succeed (Image via Electronic Arts)

While the positives of Denuvo and other DRMs are overshadowed by the more prevalent issues, it seems like Hazelight Studios and director Josef Fares are comfortable with their setup. Split Fiction is coming in a few days, and the last thing the studio wants is to see their project be ridiculed by performance issues and dragged by the gaming community.

Other game developers were able to accomplish wonders without Denuvo's protection, and some games even benefited without it. Hazelight Studios is doing just fine, and they are not changing a single thing, especially for this new and title.

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Split Fiction will be released on March 6, 2025, for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and the EA App. For more related articles, check these out:

• Will Split Fiction be available on Xbox Game Pass?
• Split Fiction: Complete list of achievements and trophies
• Split Fiction release time cooldown