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PayPalHaters of DRM will be happy about this one - as Square Enix appear to have removed Denuvo from DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake. It was originally released on Steam in October 2025, so it didn't last very long.
As usual, the developer did not mention the removal but we can see on SteamDB when the removal happened, with the Steam page no longer mentioning it either. So if you prefer not to buy games with Denuvo, looks like now is a good time.
They released a patch on the same day which notes:
DRAGON QUEST I
- The way the protagonist’s attributes change when leveling up on the “Dragon Quest” and “Draconian Quest” difficulties has been adjusted.
DRAGON QUEST II
- The ship now moves faster.
- A bug which could cause the screen to freeze after fading to black when players obtained the Yggdrasil leaf in Yggdrasil's Arbour has been fixed.
Miscellaneous Updates
- More “Traveller’s Tips” entries have been added concerning game systems and progress.
- A bug which left players with DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake save data unable to claim bonus items on SteamDeck has been fixed.
- Other minor bugs have been fixed.
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About the author - Liam Dawe
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly checked on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly.
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5 comments
Not all that uncommon of a practice. At least some publishers tend to use things like Denuvo for release date protection, and past that for the initial few weeks of sales (which for most games is the majority of sales/the most important). Then they remove it because it's no longer actually needed in a business sense.
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hardpenguin 4 hours ago
And again it is being proven to us it is better to wait with buying a mainstream game 🥲
2 Likes
Avehicle7887 3 hours ago
GOG release next and I'm buying.
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Quoting: dibzNot all that uncommon of a practice. At least some publishers tend to use things like Denuvo for release date protection, and past that for the initial few weeks of sales (which for most games is the majority of sales/the most important). Then they remove it because it's no longer actually needed in a business sense.Then you have UbiSoft that does not remove it even for 10+ year old indie games like Scott Pilgrim.
I hope SquareEnix continues the trend and removes Denuvo from the latest "Paranormasight" soon. I really enjoyed the first one and was surprised when I found out this has Denuvo (first one hadn't).
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Just letting you guys know the reason for the removal might have to do with it being defeated again, they are likely removing it from older titles before the high seas get to it for reputational reasons. Just speculation though.
Last edited by SlayerTheChikken on 9 Mar 2026 at 6:58 pm UTC
Last edited by SlayerTheChikken on 9 Mar 2026 at 6:58 pm UTC
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