Realistic life sim inZOI without Denuvo, after all. „We quickly realized that this approach did not align with what our players wanted”

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Among the subjects sparking the greatest debate among gamers, the anti-piracy measures implemented by Denuvo undoubtedly stand out as one of the most contentious. Numerous individuals argue that this software not only impairs game performance, but also creates challenges when attempting to develop custom mods.

Due to the negative image associated with Denuvo, numerous developers have chosen to distance themselves from using this software in order to steer clear of potential disputes. This includes the development team behind the forthcoming life simulator game, inZOI, which is produced by Krafton studio.

According to an announcement made on Steam, the game’s creator, Hyungjun “Kjun” Kim, has clarified that when the Early Access version launches on March 28th, it will not initially feature the technology previously mentioned.

As a passionate gamer myself, I’d say: At first, we opted to use Denuvo to safeguard our game from unauthorized distribution. We thought it was crucial for maintaining fairness for those who bought the game legitimately. But upon examining community feedback closely, it became evident that this method wasn’t in line with what our players desired – a revelation made by us as developers.

Kim emphasized that a significant element of inZOI lies in the players’ creativity, and potentially eliminating Denuvo could offer the community additional flexibility to explore.

It’s clear that taking out Denuvo might make the game susceptible to piracy post-release. However, on the positive side, it provides an exciting prospect: our game, inZOI, can be customized more freely—this empowers players to create unique experiences for one another. We think fostering this freedom from the get-go will spark creativity and ensure lasting enjoyment among the community.

Denuvo included with the demo version

The creative studio, identified as inZOI: Creative Studio, has a demo accessible via Steam that incorporates Denuvo software. It was disclosed by the developer that this software was installed automatically, and they expressed regret for not informing the gamers earlier about the addition.

I’d like to express our heartfelt apologies for not meeting player expectations more accurately on this delicate matter. We deeply regret any worry or perplexity this has stirred within the community, and we are dedicated to reestablishing your trust as we progress in creating an exceptional gaming experience. The director emphasized that this is our goal at the end.

(Not) secret weapon inZOI

As a gamer, I’ve learned that rebuilding trust isn’t always easy, but Krafton Studio has some fantastic tools up its sleeve to help. One of these is an AI-driven experimental feature called Smart Zoi, designed to make in-game characters more autonomous and smart, enhancing the gaming experience.

To use Smart Zoi, you need to:

  1. enter the game options;
  2. select the “Gameplay” card;
  3. in the “Enable Smart Zoi” section, select “on.”

The developers are making it clear that the new feature is currently under construction, which means it might encounter some issues during use. Some potential problems they’ve pointed out include:

  1. trouble with creating new schedule items if Zoi goes to bed too late;
  2. temporary blocking of new entries in the journal and editing schedule elements if the game speed is 5x or more;
  3. Zoi’s quickly disappearing thoughts during conversations with other characters;
  4. possible game delays if we have multiple sleepy characters (up to five) on the screen after 11:00 pm.

It turns out that running this function needs quite a potent setup of hardware. You might recall some details about the game’s technical specifications we shared earlier. But don’t worry, the creators are actively seeking solutions to reduce the minimal system requirements, all while maintaining smooth gameplay.

Initial feedback indicates that inZOI holds substantial promise. If nurtured appropriately, this Korean game could potentially challenge the dominance of the long-standing champion in life simulation games – the Sims series.

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2025-03-27 14:03