Capcom Quietly Introduced Enigma DRM In Older Games

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Bawal Zehri

At HI Digital I test and write about different hardware configurations to show other PC users what they can expect from their build. My end goal is to educate the masses to make the right decision when they are looking for new PC parts to buy

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Thinking of some of the most prominent studios for producing quality titles, Capcom immediately comes to mind. The studio has a vast library of famous titles like Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Monster Hunter, and more.

Recent releases like Resident Evil 4 and Street Fighter 6 also shipped millions of units, making the studio quite popular among the masses. However, its latest decision to add heavy DRM protection to older games has proven controversial.

Why it matters: The latest DRM added to Capcom games is actively harming the user experience, leading to worse performance and bugs.

As spotted by users on the Steam community, some Capcom back catalog games have recently received Enigma DRM protection.

Although this is a good step from Capcom in theory, users have noted that this DRM is typically worse than the despised Denuvo, causing performance hits of around 10-15FPS.

Apart from the clear performance impacts, the DRM can cause stutters, making gameplay even worse. Games like the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection have been impacted by Capcom’s decision in addition to the likes of Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection.

Despite its limited reliance on DRM, Capcom has made it clear that it is not too fond of mods, deeming them similar to cheating. A few weeks back, Capcom was seen striking channels trying to promote mods for its game.

Therefore, one incentive to introduce the new DRM likely has to do with the fact that Capcom wants to limit mods in its games.

Wake up babe, new Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection update just dropped.

This one adds, uh… (checks notes) ah, new DRM.

The same DRM was recently added to Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection: https://t.co/erjhZZPP02 pic.twitter.com/EH8bsFu0jb

— Prof. 9 (@Prof9) October 30, 2023

Not too long ago, an inappropriate Chun-Li mode showed up in a Street Fighter 6 tournament. This caused embarrassment for the publisher, motivating the gaming giant to implement such protection.

While modding can be a good option for games like Starfield, where it is actively promoted, not every studio is happy with the idea of user-created content altering their games.

Anyhow, Capcom’s decision has received a lot of criticism. Gamers are typically against any kind of DRM in general, and adding such a strict form of protection to older games has proven to be an unpopular move.

Bawal Zehri

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