Capcom adds new DRM to old PC games, raising worries over mods

polygon.com:

Publisher Capcom has been adding file-protection software to its back catalog of games on Steam, seemingly as part of the company’s efforts to crack down on piracy — but also on PC mods, which the company claims are “no different than cheats” for its games.

While the addition of software called Enigma Protector to Capcom’s games has been going on for months, Steam users say, the issue came to a head earlier this month when the publisher updated 2013’s Resident Evil: Revelations on PC. That update caused noticeable performance issues, according to players, and Capcom quickly reverted the change. But Capcom said in an update on Steam that it plans to rerelease that update.

Users on Steam have since pushed back on this, adding “mostly negative” reviews for Resident Evil: Revelations. Many reviews cite the “mod-blocking DRM” as a primary factor in their negative reviews.

Enigma Protector is a third-party software package designed to help protect executable files from user attempts at “hacking, analysis, modification and disassembly,” according to its developers. In practice, the software helps to block game mods in Capcom’s games.

Capcom has identified mods as an issue with its games in recent months. In October, the developers of Capcom’s RE Engine, the game software that powers games like Street Fighter 6, Monster Hunter Rise, and multiple Resident Evil games, said that mods can cause “reputational damage” and become a burden on customer support.

“The image of a product is tarnished when mods are released that violate public order and morals without permission,” Capcom developers said in a YouTube video about anti-cheat and anti-piracy measures for in-house development. “Mods can be mistaken for legitimate implementations