Stellar Blade DRM and Region Lock Issues Addressed Ahead of PC Release
Stellar Blade's developer, SHIFT UP, has taken proactive steps to address fan concerns about the game's use of Digital Rights Management (DRM) and potential region-locking ahead of its PC release. Let's delve into how these issues are being tackled and what it means for players.
Stellar Blade PC Updates
SHIFT UP Addressed DRM Concerns
As Stellar Blade gears up for its PC launch, SHIFT UP has directly addressed the community's worries about the implementation of Denuvo, a well-known DRM solution. In a recent post on Twitter (X) dated May 17, the developer assured fans that "DRM has been fine-tuned to maintain the same average frame rate, with even higher minimum frames in some cases."
Denuvo is a type of DRM that aims to combat piracy by making it harder to create and distribute unauthorized copies of games. However, its use has often been contentious, with many players citing negative impacts on game performance. SHIFT UP countered these concerns by sharing detailed performance test results, which indicated that the game's frame rates remained consistent whether DRM was enabled or not. This includes average, minimum, maximum, 1% low, and 0.1% low frame rates.
Moreover, SHIFT UP confirmed that Stellar Blade fully supports modding, a feature often limited in games with DRM. While fans have praised the studio's openness, there remains a desire for the game to be DRM-free to enhance its accessibility.
Region Lock Issues
Another significant issue raised by the community pertains to region locking, particularly in relation to PlayStation Network (PSN) restrictions. Despite Stellar Blade not requiring a PSN connection for PC play, some regions without PSN support will still face access limitations. Currently, PSN does not support over 130 countries globally.
SHIFT UP is actively working on resolving these region lock issues, stating they are "closely discussing the region lock issue with the publisher and are doing our best to resolve most of it as soon as possible." They further emphasized that both the PC and PS5 versions will offer identical content, ensuring that "early buyers are never at a disadvantage through future updates."
While the community appreciates SHIFT UP's efforts to address these concerns, there's a strong sentiment for the game to be completely free from DRM and PSN-related restrictions. Stellar Blade's PC version is slated for release on June 11 on Steam. Stay tuned for further updates and more information on the game by checking out our related articles.
