In the ever-evolving saga of gaming’s love-hate relationship with digital rights management (DRM), a new chapter has unfolded: Final Fantasy 16 has shed the infamous Denuvo anti-piracy software, joining a growing list of titles liberated from its controversial grip. Square Enix quietly rolled out the update in early March 2025, stripping the DRM from the PC version of its 2023 action-RPG epic—a move that’s sparked cheers from players and reignited debates about Denuvo’s place in modern gaming. Yet, as fans of Noctis and his road-tripping crew point out with a mix of frustration and disbelief, Final Fantasy 15, a game that’s been kicking around since 2016, remains shackled to the same DRM system seven years later. It’s a tale of two games, one free to breathe and the other still locked in a digital jail, raising eyebrows and questions about Square Enix’s DRM priorities.
Let’s start with the good news. Final Fantasy 16, which traded the turn-based roots of its predecessors for a Devil May Cry-inspired combat system, launched on PC in September 2024 with Denuvo firmly in tow. For a game that dazzled with its medieval spectacle—Clive Rosfield slashing through summons like Ifrit and Bahamut in a world of political intrigue—it wasn’t the frame rates or system specs that drew early grumbles. It was Denuvo, the anti-tamper tech that’s become a bogeyman in gaming circles, blamed for everything from performance hiccups to SSD wear. Players on Steam forums and X didn’t hold back: “Great game, awful DRM,” one wrote, while another snarked, “Denuvo’s the real final boss here.” Fast forward to March 2025, and Square Enix has answered the call, axing Denuvo in a patch that also tweaked performance and squashed bugs. The result? A smoother experience for PC players and a rare victory in the ongoing DRM wars.
The move isn’t exactly a shock—Square Enix has a track record of ditching Denuvo post-launch. Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Forspoken, and Dragon Quest 11 all saw the DRM vanish once the piracy window (typically the first few months) passed. Publishers like Capcom and Bandai Namco have followed suit with titles like Monster Hunter Rise and Tekken 8, suggesting Denuvo’s role as a short-term piracy shield is losing its luster. For Final Fantasy 16, the timing makes sense: sales have tapered off since its PS5 debut in 2023 and PC drop in 2024, and with nearly 90% positive Steam reviews, goodwill matters more than ever. Removing Denuvo isn’t just a technical tweak—it’s a signal to players that Square Enix is listening, even if it’s taken a year of complaints to get here.
But then there’s Final Fantasy 15, the black sheep of this DRM drama. Launched in 2016 on consoles and ported to PC in 2018, it’s a sprawling open-world adventure that still holds a special place in fans’ hearts—road trips with the bros, camping under starry skies, and battling titanic beasts. Yet its Windows Edition remains saddled with Denuvo, a relic of a bygone era when the game’s $35 million budget demanded every ounce of piracy protection. Seven years on, with sales long past their peak and the game discounted to pennies in bundles, the DRM feels less like a safeguard and more like a stubborn anchor. On X, fans vented: “FF16 gets a free pass, but FF15’s still in jail? Square, explain yourself!” Another quipped, “Noctis deserves freedom more than Clive does.”
Why the disparity? The simplest answer might be apathy. Final Fantasy 15 isn’t in the spotlight anymore—its DLC plans fizzled out by 2019, and Square Enix has shifted focus to fresher titles like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and, well, 16. Patching out Denuvo takes resources—coding, testing, deployment—and for a game that’s already had its day in the sun, the cost-benefit math might not add up. But that logic doesn’t sit well with players who argue that if Denuvo’s gone from newer releases, older ones deserve the same treatment. After all, the tech’s supposed performance impact—however debated—hits hardest on aging rigs still running 15, not the beefy PCs tackling 16’s summon-heavy chaos.
The Denuvo debate itself is a rabbit hole. Critics swear it throttles frame rates, hammers storage drives, and demands online checks that brick games when servers hiccup—claims that have fueled boycotts and Steam review bombs for years. Defenders, including some devs, counter that the impact’s negligible and piracy costs justify its use. Studies are murky, and Denuvo’s makers stay tight-lipped, leaving players to judge by feel. For Final Fantasy 16, the post-DRM patch notes don’t scream “massive performance boost,” but anecdotal buzz on forums suggests smoother load times and fewer stutters. 15, meanwhile, chugs along with its DRM intact, a guinea pig in a seven-year experiment no one asked for.
Could there be hope for Noctis yet? Square Enix hasn’t commented on Final Fantasy 15’s fate, but the 16 move has fans clamoring for a retroactive cleanup. “If they’re freeing new games, why not the old ones?” one Redditor pleaded. A precedent exists—Capcom stripped Denuvo from Resident Evil Village years after launch—so it’s not unthinkable. Still, 15’s sprawling scope (multiple editions, DLC tie-ins) might complicate a patch more than 16’s cleaner slate. And with Square Enix juggling a packed slate—Kingdom Hearts 4, anyone?—a 2016 game might not top the priority list.
For now, the tale of two Final Fantasies underscores a broader shift. Denuvo’s once-iron grip is slipping as publishers weigh its PR cost against fleeting piracy wins. 16’s liberation is a win for players, a nod to a future where DRM might fade into the background. But 15’s plight is a reminder that not every game gets a happy ending—or at least, not yet. As Clive swings his blade free of digital chains, Noctis and his crew sit tight, their open road still hemmed in by a system that’s outlived its welcome. Will Square Enix unlock that cell door, or is Final Fantasy 15 doomed to eternal DRM purgatory? For fans of both titles, it’s a question that cuts deeper than any Buster Sword.
