Arc Raiders has begun its rollout of Denuvo anti-cheat software, minus the DRM

Embark has begun its rollout of anti-cheat software to Arc Raiders, utilizing Denuvo to stamp out the rampant wall hacks, aimbots, and whatever else players with no skill tend to take advantage of. Starting May 19, a limited player pool was selected to try out the kernel-level anti-cheat software, with plans to expand it if all goes well.

A post from May 7 entitled 'Ensuring Fair Play' gave us a bit more insight into the new anti-cheat measures. It shed some light on the developer's plans to combine machine-learning models and kernel-level measures like Easy Anti-Cheat - and now Denuvo - to stamp out unfair practices within the multiplayer game.

In an effort to maintain high levels of performance, Arc Raiders is opting out of the Denuvo DRM service that has plagued many a game. Developers use DRM to crack down on piracy, locking down avenues of illegitimate acquisition, with the downside that it often increases load times, adds layers of sign-in nonsense, and general faff. With Arc Raiders selling more copies than some small countries, I'm sure piracy is taking a back seat to maintaining the quality experience for its current audience.

The Riven Tides update came with its own wave of cheating allegations, with players complaining that nearly every game they entered had a cheater of some description. Even that super-famous streamer guy, Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins, had something to say, cutting off his stream early.  "That'll do it. I'm not just going to die to cheaters and stream snipers again."

It's a trade-off, really. A slight hit to performance for fair matches works for me, as I can always tweak my Arc Raiders settings, but I can't dodge an all-seeing Terminator. I desperately don't want to lose the handful of wires I managed to pick up from a desk drawer. That's about the level I'm working at.