Summary
Hot on the heels of the incredible resurgence in the series' player counts following theMonster Hunter Wildsreveal, Capcom’s continued implementation of DRM software has now effectively broken players' access toMonster Hunter Riseon one of its most perfectly suited platforms: the Steam Deck.Monster Hunter Wilds' announcement at The Game Awards was one of the show’s highlights, and the immediate response from fans helped lead to a massive resurgence in Steam player counts for the excellentMonster Hunter World.Risewas also beginning to see an increase in engagement as new players dive into the two most recent entries ahead ofWilds, but the DRM debacle is effectively derailingMonster Hunter Wildshype train.
Capcom has a long and well-documented history of implementing DRM software into the PC ports of its games as a way to prevent inappropriate mods. Unfortunately, while it does make perfect sense to want to protect the company’s intellectual property, implementing digital rights management measures in games often has the unintentional side effect of worsening their performance on PC.Monster Hunter Riseis practically tailor-made for the Steam Deck (especially givenMH Rise’s beginning as a Switch exclusive) and that it’s currently unplayable on the device is sure to hinder its renaissance among players.
Capcom’s DRM Update Effectively Broke Monster Hunter Rise
Problems Caused by Capcom’s DRM Software
Throughout Capcom’s well-documented history of implementing DRM software in its PC releases, the company has traditionally utilized Denuvo’s DRM as a means of preventing unsavory mods or end-user manipulation of its titles. For whatever reason, the company recently made the switch from Denuvo to Enigma DRM, resulting in several of its older PC ports suffering significant performance problems. One of the titles in question wasthe PC port ofResident Evil: Revelations, which received so much backlash from its DRM update that it prompted Capcom to remove DRM from the game entirely.
Theupdate ofMonster Hunter Rise’s DRMnearly immediately broke the game’s compatibility with the Steam Deck, which launches games using Linux-based firmware rather than Windows, though players can still use the Proton compatibility tool to effectively launch Windows-based PC titles on the Deck. In the wake ofMonster Hunter Rise’s inability to run following the DRM update, astute Steam Deck users have reported that simply updating the game’s launch preferences and forcing the use of Proton to launch the game allows it to run. However, this is just a stopgap solution for a problem that Capcom is reportedly working hard on fixing.
With Capcom already acknowledging that it is aware of the issue withMonster Hunter Riseand working on a solution, the game will almost certainly be playable again on the Steam Deck in a relatively short amount of time. Nevertheless, the greater damage done is toMonster Hunter’s continued resurgencefollowing the announcement ofMonster Hunter Wilds.Monster Hunter Worldhas been in the midst of a massive uptick in player counts in the weeks followingWilds' announcement, and since it can take anywhere from 50 to 500 hours to completeMonster Hunter World,Rise’s Steam Charts were just now starting to see the same kind of increase in engagement.
Taken at a glance, the daily gains in player counts betweenMonster Hunter WorldandMonster Hunter Risecontinue to experience an increasing gap, with the last 24 hours seeingWorldhave a total of nearly 96,000 concurrent players versusRise’s 15,000. Again, this kind of discrepancy can result from any number of factors, most likely the sheer amount of time it can take to experience everythingMonster Hunter Worldhas to offer, but it’s a shame that the DRM update and loss of Steam Deck compatibility forRiseis coming at a time when its player counts were finally rising again since the all-time low in August 2023.
Monster Hunter Rise
WHERE TO PLAY
Rise to the challenge and join the hunt in this high-flying addition to the Monster Hunter series. The worldwide hit series Monster Hunter returns with a host of new gameplay features, original monsters and a story inspired by ancient Japanese folklore. Personalise your hunter, choose from 14 unique weapon types, recruit your Palico Felyne and all-new Palamute Canyne companions, and gear up to explore a range of vast, richly detailed hunting maps. Whether you prefer to go solo or enjoy the company of a four-person squad, smart difficulty scaling guarantees a fair and thrilling battle. The irresistible Monster Hunter loop remains, with each successul hunt yielding the materials required to craft and upgrade your weapons and armour, allowing you to hunt tougher monsters and gather more precious resources. All versions of Monster Hunter Rise grant immediate access to a wealth of free title update content, including an additional story ending, new monsters, extra gear and more.
