Stellar Blade DRM and Region Lock Issues Addressed Ahead of PC Release
As the highly anticipated PC release of Stellar Blade approaches, developer SHIFT UP has taken proactive steps to address fan concerns regarding Digital Rights Management (DRM) and region lock issues. Let's dive into the details and understand how these factors could impact your gaming experience.
Stellar Blade PC Updates
SHIFT UP Addressed DRM Concerns
With Stellar Blade set to launch on PC, SHIFT UP has tackled the contentious topic of DRM head-on. In a recent social media post dated May 17, the developer confirmed the use of Denuvo as their DRM solution but emphasized that it's been meticulously optimized. "DRM has been hard tuned to maintain the same average frame rate, with even higher minimum frames in some cases," they stated. This reassurance comes in response to widespread concerns about Denuvo's impact on game performance.
DRM, or Digital Rights Management, is employed to combat piracy by making it challenging to create and distribute unauthorized copies of games. Despite its effectiveness, Denuvo has been criticized for potentially degrading game performance. To counter these concerns, SHIFT UP shared detailed performance test results, comparing gameplay with and without DRM. The findings indicated negligible differences across various metrics, including average, minimum, maximum, 1% low, and 0.1% low framerates.
Moreover, SHIFT UP highlighted that Stellar Blade fully supports mods, a feature often restricted in games with DRM. While fans have praised the developer's transparency, many still hope for a version of the game without Denuvo, citing accessibility and performance as key issues.
Region Lock Issues
Another pressing concern for Stellar Blade's PC release involves region lock issues linked to PlayStation Network (PSN). Although the game does not require a PSN connection, players in over 130 countries unsupported by PSN will face access restrictions. This has sparked significant frustration among global fans eager to play the game.
SHIFT UP has acknowledged these concerns and is actively working to resolve them. "We are closely discussing the region lock issue with the publisher and are doing our best to resolve most of it as soon as possible," they assured. The developer also guaranteed that both PC and PS5 versions will offer identical content, ensuring no disadvantage for early buyers through future updates.
While the community appreciates SHIFT UP's efforts to address these issues, many still wish for a game free from both DRM and PSN-related restrictions. Stellar Blade's PC version is scheduled for release on June 11 via Steam. Stay tuned for further updates and detailed coverage in our upcoming articles.
