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Free Ghostwire Tokyo update adds new content, and Denuvo DRM

A free Ghostwire Tokyo update titled Spider’s Thread is out now for the Bethesda supernatural action horror game, but also introduces Denuvo anti-tamper DRM.

Ghostwire Tokyo update Spider's Thread adds Denuvo DRM anti-piracy tech - a alrge cat wearing an open yellow silk shirt flots in front of a large window overlooking Tokyo

There’s a new, free Ghostwire Tokyo update out that introduces new single-player story missions, combat abilities, more photo mode features, and an additional game mode for the Bethesda supernatural action horror game. However, the Spider’s Thread DLC patch also appears to have introduced controversial Denuvo DRM technology to the game, which might spark concerns from some users ahead of the publisher’s Starfield release date.

Ghostwire Tokyo Spider’s Thread is out now on Steam, the Epic Games store, and the Microsoft Xbox store alongside PlayStation and Xbox consoles. The free update also includes some quality of life improvements, including the addition of individually assignable key bindings, and updates to various achievements.

Alongside the new content, it seems that the new Ghostwire Tokyo patch has introduced Denuvo anti-tamper DRM (digital rights management) to the game. Denuvo is often considered a controversial anti-piracy solution, due to instances of it having a detrimental effect on in-game performance. This news comes just a day after Capcom removes Denuvo from Resident Evil Village, following Square Enix doing the same for several of its PC releases.

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After some testing, DSOGaming confirms that Ghostwire Tokyo now uses Denuvo following this latest update. By altering the number of CPU cores being used by the game several times, an authentication message from Denuvo appears confirming that the game can no longer be authenticated “on new devices.”

It’s unusual to see such tools added so long after release, but it’s worth noting that the game recently arrived on Microsoft’s PC Game Pass subscription service, and with that alongside the Spider’s Thread update it’s likely that Bethesda expects the game to be back in the limelight once again. Developer Tango Gameworks also drew plenty of attention recently for its surprise hit Hi-Fi Rush.

The addition of Denuvo with the release of the Spider’s Thread update will likely only add fuel to the fire around upcoming Bethesda games such as Starfield as it’s announced that Redfall uses Denuvo anti-cheat on PC. There’s currently no confirmation that the service will be used for Starfield, but with Bethesda implementing it in increasingly more of those games, it certainly seems like a strong possibility.

Take a look at our Ghostwire Tokyo review to see what we made of the original release, and check out more of the best ghost games on PC if you love your supernatural spookies.