“Mass Effect Andromeda” is perhaps one of the most controversial titles in recent memory. The game, contrary to what was expected, flopped. It did not meet sales expectations, forcing publisher Electronic Arts to put the entire franchise on hiatus.
While it is true that developer BioWare was reassigned to an unknown project, the studio still kept on supporting "Mass Effect Andromeda" as far as players can remember. In fact, the newest update was just released recently and was meant to bring the quality of life improvements. However, it brought an unannounced change: the dropping of the Denuvo anti-tamper DRM support, as reported by PVP Live.
Why the support feature was dropped
Sad to say, it remains unclear why both BioWare and EA opted to remove the Denuvo anti-tamper DRM support from the title. It is a significant feature, to begin with, preventing any possibility of copyright violations. (The system works as anti-tool for piracy). This is not to mention the fact that the removal came during the most troublesome situation of the game. It is believed that the program was only meant to exist during the initial release of the game to prevent any possible window for piracy during the launch.
Unfortunately, though, the Denuvo program was cracked upon the release of “Mass Effect Andromeda” back in March. It was a surprising turn of events, as it was never meant to happen.
It completely defeated the purpose of having it installed to protect the title from piracy. In fact, it took EA at least four months to have the program up and running. Fortunately for the publisher, the phenomenon was also present on other title using the said feature.
The future of the game
With EA announcing the hiatus of the series and reassigning BioWare, the future of “Mass Effect Andromeda” is definitely at risk. Players are now wondering if it is only a matter of time before the game drops six feet below under. There were rumors, however, of an upcoming expansion from the developers. But until this gets officially announced, it will just remain a speculation. The overall downfall of the game was due to its sales performance.
The anticipated numbers of purchases were not met, allowing the game to be at a complete stall.
It is only understandable for the publisher to put a halt to everything related to “Mass Effect Andromeda.” After all, they have a business to take care of. Unfortunately for the fans of the acclaimed franchise, its legacy did not end well.
