{"slug": "denuvo", "name": "Denuvo", "category": "other", "category_name": "Other software", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 3, "warners": 0, "score": 2.955, "rising": 3.0, "first": "2026-10-07", "latest": "2026-10-08", "why": "I wouldn't dismiss Denuvo.  It is intended for a particular use case, which is games where a week or more delay between the release of a game and the appearance of a crack would make a meaningful difference.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 0, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 3], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "I wouldn't dismiss Denuvo.  It is intended for a particular use case, which is games where a week or more delay between the release of a game and the appearance of a crack would make a meaningful difference.", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://irdeto.com/denuvo/", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Denuvo"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 800011440, "item_id": 50000715, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50000715", "by": "ravenstine", "date": "2026-10-08", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I wouldn't dismiss Denuvo.  It is intended for a particular use case, which is games where a week or more delay between the release of a game and the appearance of a crack would make a meaningful difference.", "excerpt": "I wouldn't dismiss Denuvo. It is intended for a particular use case, which is games where a week or more delay between the release of a game and the appearance of a crack would make a meaningful difference. The payoff wouldn't be nearly the same for a lot of other software. Both fortunately and unfortunately, this situation may change as AI models and workflows tailored around reverse engineering improve.", "context": "", "use_case": "game DRM", "switched_from": "", "story": "Tell HN: GitHub refuses to remove cracked copies of my software after a month"}, {"id": 799958112, "item_id": 49997382, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49997382", "by": "Timon3", "date": "2026-10-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Denuvo is still effective enough to protect newly released games for weeks.", "excerpt": "I'd recommend taking a look at DRM for games. It's been a while since I read anything, but AFAIK Denuvo is still effective enough to protect newly released games for weeks.", "context": "", "use_case": "game DRM", "switched_from": "", "story": "Tell HN: GitHub refuses to remove cracked copies of my software after a month"}, {"id": 799957344, "item_id": 49997334, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49997334", "by": "SleepyMyroslav", "date": "2026-10-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The only thing that came close was Denuvo. You may want to read up on it before dismissing it.", "excerpt": "I've spent some years in gamedev and doing PC versions was a big part of it. I have seen countless attempts at 'code consistency cross-checks' and they all have been defeated. The only thing that came close was Denuvo. You may want to read up on it before dismissing it. It's sad that folks here will downvote and hate anything about it. What it changed is that publishers got their money from people playing on PC and s", "context": "years in gamedev, PC versions", "use_case": "game DRM", "switched_from": "", "story": "Tell HN: GitHub refuses to remove cracked copies of my software after a month"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [{"by": "SleepyMyroslav", "context": "years in gamedev, PC versions", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49997334", "date": "2026-10-07"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["game drm"], "compared": [], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49982498", "title": "Tell HN: GitHub refuses to remove cracked copies of my software after a month", "mentions": 3}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {"recommend": 3}}, "quotes": [{"id": 800011440, "item_id": 50000715, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50000715", "by": "ravenstine", "date": "2026-10-08", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I wouldn't dismiss Denuvo.  It is intended for a particular use case, which is games where a week or more delay between the release of a game and the appearance of a crack would make a meaningful difference.", "excerpt": "I wouldn't dismiss Denuvo. It is intended for a particular use case, which is games where a week or more delay between the release of a game and the appearance of a crack would make a meaningful difference. The payoff wouldn't be nearly the same for a lot of other software. Both fortunately and unfortunately, this situation may change as AI models and workflows tailored around reverse engineering improve.", "context": "", "use_case": "game DRM", "switched_from": "", "story": "Tell HN: GitHub refuses to remove cracked copies of my software after a month"}, {"id": 799958112, "item_id": 49997382, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49997382", "by": "Timon3", "date": "2026-10-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Denuvo is still effective enough to protect newly released games for weeks.", "excerpt": "I'd recommend taking a look at DRM for games. It's been a while since I read anything, but AFAIK Denuvo is still effective enough to protect newly released games for weeks.", "context": "", "use_case": "game DRM", "switched_from": "", "story": "Tell HN: GitHub refuses to remove cracked copies of my software after a month"}, {"id": 799957344, "item_id": 49997334, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49997334", "by": "SleepyMyroslav", "date": "2026-10-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The only thing that came close was Denuvo. You may want to read up on it before dismissing it.", "excerpt": "I've spent some years in gamedev and doing PC versions was a big part of it. I have seen countless attempts at 'code consistency cross-checks' and they all have been defeated. The only thing that came close was Denuvo. You may want to read up on it before dismissing it. It's sad that folks here will downvote and hate anything about it. What it changed is that publishers got their money from people playing on PC and s", "context": "years in gamedev, PC versions", "use_case": "game DRM", "switched_from": "", "story": "Tell HN: GitHub refuses to remove cracked copies of my software after a month"}]}