Leaks have recently become a major nuisance for video game publishers, especially when highly anticipated AAA titles are in question. Irdeto, creator of the popular anti-piracy software Denuvo, has stepped in with a new solution called TraceMark.
According to the official press release, developers can use TraceMark to implement invisible watermarks that are unique to every build. In case of a leak, the watermarks could then be traced right back to the specific ID assigned to that build. This would be a strong deterrent to leaks (like the GTA 6 and Insomniac debacles).
Irdeto unveiled TraceMark during the 2024 GDC (Game Developers Conference), touting it as “revolutionary” and “groundbreaking”. The company pointed out the tool’s benefits in the pre-release stages of game development when developers send out copies for early playtests, closed betas, and reviews. TraceMark can reportedly be used together with Denuvo’s Anti-Tamper technology to offer a more robust security solution.
While the new tech promises to secure video game content “without compromising on the player’s experience”, Denuvo is notorious for degrading the gaming performance on PCs. Whether or not TraceMark further aggravates that problem remains to be seen.
On the other hand, developers and publishers will most probably applaud Irdeto’s new breakthrough. Pre-release leaks may seem like good “negative publicity” at first glance, but they could pose bigger threats to titles that have millions of dollars riding on them.
Leaks about in-progress elements of a game could be taken out of context, greatly damaging its reputation and sales. A technology like TraceMark can reduce unfair, destructive practices and ultimately protect the economic health of the video game industry in the long run.
