UbiSoft Denies Claims that Assassin’s Creed: Origins DRM Slows PCs Down

Since its initial release on PC, some players of “Assassin’s Creed: Origins” have raised the alarm on the startlingly high CPU usage involved in running the game; some reports indicate that the title raises CPU usage as high as 90 to 100 percent. Considering how irregular that level of usage for a video game may be, many have accused the title’s DRM software as being responsible.

Volski, member of the “Revolt” cracker team, commented that he believes hardware slowing is the result of UbiSoft’s two-pronged approach to DRM software: Denuvo, which is already known as a problematic piece of software, and VMProtect. After looking at the underlying code of the game, Volski believes that staggering VMProtect with Denuvo, results in a 30-40 percent high to system performance. This abrasive anti-piracy code means that many users require a high-end PC just to properly enjoy the title.

As to why UbiSoft applied VMProtect, Volski believes that the company sees the code as sufficient to stop piracy of the title. He adds that while it will succeed in reducing piracy of the title, it makes the gameplay experience a choppy slog for legitimate users who purchased the title.

In a statement to the gaming press, UbiSoft denied that its DRM software choked PC processes and stated that its anti-tamper solutions have had no negative influence on game performance. The statement went on to describe the massive world of Ancient Egypt, filled with details, stunning vistas and populated cities, all without any visible loading screens. The title makes full use of system resources at the minimum and recommended uses while maintaining a framerate of 30 frames per second.

As the title’s name implies, Assassin’s Creed: Origins details the storyline of the very first Assassin within the franchise’s world. This title takes place during the Ptolemaic period of Egyptian history, between 323 BC and 30 BC, and places the player in the capable hands of Bayek, a Medjay-a paramilitary agent loyal to Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII. Unlike other games, which have the Assassins skirmishing with the Templars, this title sees Bayek going to war against the “Order of the Ancients,” the predecessor to the franchise’s Knights Templar. Players will explore the world in a third-person perspective, occasionally deploying Senu, Bayek’s trained eagle, to run reconnaissance and inform Bayek of the location of enemies, traps, weak points in security detail and escape routes after assassinating nefarious NPCs.