A recent revelation has surfaced regarding the Xbox-published shooter, Doom: The Dark Ages, which has reportedly been cracked by anti-DRM pirates. A Reddit user known as voices38 announced on March 13 that they successfully bypassed the game’s controversial Denuvo software.

This incident marks the first instance in 2025 of a game having its digital rights management technology circumvented illicitly, following a series of successful DRM defenses in recent titles from the previous year.

Denuvo has been known to effectively deter unauthorized attempts to crack newer games, although it has faced significant backlash due to its adverse impact on PC performance. This situation has fostered a general distrust towards DRM technology among consumers, as many gamers express dissatisfaction with the limitations it places on legitimately purchased digital content. As a result, numerous players are reluctant to buy games protected by Denuvo, and some have benefitted from cracks in the past, experiencing improved CPU performance as a result. The latest release from id Software exemplifies this issue, as its use of Denuvo received criticism at launch.

The original Reddit post included a hint that further cracking efforts might target even newer games, with the poster teasing, “the next one will surprise you.”

In recent times, publishers have begun to move away from Denuvo as games progress in their lifecycle. Conversely, Capcom recently removed Denuvo from the Resident Evil 4 remake, only to implement a different type of DRM that has reportedly worsened performance issues.

In the meantime, GOG, a distribution platform known for its strict anti-DRM stance, is working to expand its operations under new leadership. This raises questions about whether the anti-DRM philosophy will continue to be a fundamental aspect of the store’s mission going forward.