Anti-piracy software Denuvo removed from Mass Effect: Andromeda

In the latest patch for Mass Effect: Andromeda, version 1.09, it appears BioWare has dropped the (in)famous anti-tampering DRM protection Denuvo from the game. This was spotted by the folks at Dark Side of Gaming.

The game is still protected with EA's Origin client whose service is the only place on PC where you are able to purchase and download Andromeda.

Denuvo was originally cracked earlier this year - as they say, if there's a will, there's a way. In a sense, this marks yet another high-profile game dropping the software. Patch 1.05 had reinstated that same software with the latest version, shutting off users who pirated the game from future updates which were all significantly tied to the game's constant improvement.

For a while now, the team behind Denuvo has never stated this is a fail-safe program. Instead, it is designed to make the process of trying to crack their software as arduous as possible. That way, the publisher can reap the first few months of the game's important sales targets before the numbers drop off and the need of tampering protecting isn't so crucial.

It appears opinions are starting to turn on the effectiveness of Denuvo. Time will tell how long publishers and developers will rely on the software to defend their games from illegal theft.

For more details on what is included with Mass Effect: Andromeda's 1.09 patch, check out our full write-up of the patch notes.