Intel recently shared a Developer’s Guide For the upcoming 12th generation Alder Lake processor. Players’ gospel I found an interesting news that DRM solutions (such as Denuvo) need to be updated to support Alder Lake’s hybrid design.
Gamers usually upgrade to new processors for better gaming performance. However, Alder Lake may not be plug-and-play and will attract special attention from DRM developers. Intel confirmed in the document that unless the provider issues special updates for related protections, Alder Lake will have compatibility issues with DRM solutions. Therefore, game developers who implement DRM in their games must do the same.
“If your existing or upcoming games use DRM middleware, you may need to contact the middleware provider and confirm that it supports hybrid architecture in general, especially the upcoming Intel ADL platform. Due to the nature of modern DRM algorithms, it may use CPU detection, and should be aware of upcoming hybrid platforms. Intel is working with leading DRM providers, such as Denuvo*, to ensure their solutions support the new platform.”
Many (if not all) modern 3A games come with some type of DRM protection to prevent piracy. Intel specifically mentioned the Denuvo algorithm, but we suspect that other protection measures (such as VMProtect or SecuROM) may also need to be updated.Certain games, such as Assassin’s Creed Origins There are even multiple layers of protection, which may require multiple updates.
For modern games, this shouldn’t be a big problem, because developers are likely to provide updates for Alder Lake. The problem arises in old games that may not have received any updates a few years ago, which means they will not be playable on Alder Lake chips. There are many gems with high replay value, so gamers will be annoyed by not being able to play on the shiny new Alder Lake processor they just purchased.
Some game developers will eventually remove DRM protection for a long time after the game is released, but this is not the case for every game. Sometimes, developers will deploy DRM-free versions of their games on platforms including GOG. If neither of these situations is feasible, even if the game is legally owned, gamers may be forced to resort to piracy.
