It hurts to see people playing the cracked version of RE4 Remake with better performance just because they don't have to deal with Enigma Protector

 

It has been over two years, nearly three, since Resident Evil 4 Remake was released on both PC and consoles. For the PC version, Capcom initially used Denuvo, a subscription-based anti-tamper system designed to ward off piracy. While effective, it comes with a high cost. Usually, once a game reaches its break-even point or has been out long enough, Capcom removes Denuvo—which is exactly when crackers immediately pounce on it.

However, in a baffling move, Capcom recently replaced Denuvo with a new system called Enigma Protector. This has reportedly caused significant performance drops and stuttering for legitimate buyers. Meanwhile, those playing the pirated version don't have to deal with Enigma at all, allowing their game to run much smoother. It’s a bitter pill to swallow for fans who actually supported the game

The outcry comes from paying customers who are seeing their game performance tank, with Steam Deck and Linux users being the hardest hit. It turns out Capcom swapped Denuvo for Enigma Protector, a decision that makes little sense given that Denuvo had been gone for quite some time. The community is baffled as to why they'd re-introduce such a restrictive system. As Reddit user dionysus_project pointed out: 'Capcom has removed Denuvo and replaced it with Enigma... in the latest update for Resident Evil 4 Remake

dionysus_project further detailed: "If you were using DLSS3 (or similar mods) or certain other mods, they will no longer work. To make matters worse, this update does absolutely nothing to prevent cracking or piracy. Paying customers are left with a degraded experience, a noticeable performance hit, and potential security concerns. It's the same old story. I might be rambling, but I have to point this out anyway: I didn't opt-in to the Enigma program when I bought the game, yet here we are." Meanwhile, those playing the pirated version can still use mods and enjoy smooth gameplay without Enigma Protector dragging them down

gkgftzb provided additional context: "Some have reported zero performance changes, but in my case, the game is consistently using an extra 1.5GB of VRAM, forcing me to drastically lower my texture settings. Steam Deck users are also reporting a visible drop in performance. Frankly, it’s unacceptable for Capcom to release an update after all this time without bothering to fix long-standing port issues—like the CPU bottleneck in Chapter 5, the excruciatingly long boot times with large save files, and the lack of official DLSS support. Instead, they’ve introduced even more problems and hindered the modding community. Now, pirates are actually getting a better experience. I really hope major outlets like Digital Foundry cover this, because I have no faith in Capcom taking action on their own. This might be RE4R's final update. I know the game isn't that demanding by modern PC standards, but having performance regress and being put at a disadvantage with a product we paid for is simply not okay."

I'm not sure if Capcom will even bother addressing this, but if they stay silent, a review bomb is definitely coming. It's pretty obvious that Enigma Protector is more about killing mods than stopping pirates. Capcom wants to be the only one selling skins, and they see mods as a threat to their revenue. It's ironic—and painful—that pirates are having a blast while legitimate fans are stuck with a broken experience