Update 2 – 23/01/24: Capcom has now fixed the issue that was preventing Monster Hunter Rise from launching on the Steam Deck. There is still no acknowledgment of what the original issue was or how it has been fixed so we still have no confirmation that it is tied to the implementation of Enigma DRM. Valve did update the Proton Hotfix which would allow the game to run some hours earlier, but the official fix is now live.
Update 1 22/01/24: The official Monster Hunter Rise Twitter (X) account has acknowledged the issue on Steam Deck, promising a hotfix to be released “in the very near future” but stopping short of confirming what the issue is, or if it is related to the inclusion of Enigma DRM.
Capcom has added DRM (digital rights management) to Monster Hunter Rise, effectively removing its Steam Deck verification in the process. Players are not happy and refund requests are also being rejected by Valve despite the issue.
Monster Hunter Rise still holds a verified rating on the Steam store, meaning it should be among the best Steam Deck games to play in terms of optimization. Capcom, however, has left the game unable to even launch, all because it added Enigma DRM, a controversial move that it is no stranger to.
Enigma is the DRM that Capcom is using to try and protect some of its PC games from both piracy and modding. It boldly claimed that modding is no different from cheating and recently added Enigma to Resident Evil: Revelations where it also caused massive problems.
In that particular case, Resident Evil: Revelations was review-bombed on Steam, and Capcom ultimately reversed the update. Fluffyquack, who created the RE Engine modding software REtool, notably came out to claim that Enigma was not responsible for any performance issues with games that it had been added to.
It’s safe to say that while Fluffyquack may be well-placed to speak on the impact of Enigma on mods, it does appear that older games are struggling with its implementation. Monster Hunter Rise has now gone from being a verified Steam Deck game to not launching, all following Enigma’s rollout.
In some Reddit posts about the issue, some players are claiming to have reached out to Valve regarding a refund for the game. At this time, Valve is rejecting refund requests based on the non-compatibility as it still believes the game to be working.
Capcom will likely have to roll back this update or face yet another review bombing. DRM is typically looked down upon universally even though it has its place as a piracy prevention tool, but Capcom revisiting older games and effectively making them unplayable is quite the headscratcher.
While Monster Hunter Rise may be broken, you can still check out Monster Hunter World on Steam Deck as it runs on a different engine.