007 First Light patch: Denuvo removed after two months
IO Interactive has removed Denuvo DRM from 007 First Light only two months after launch, leaving the Steam edition DRM-free. The change lands as the 007 First Light patch (update 1.1.0) arrives with new TacSim missions, weapons, and over 200 fixes—welcome news for PC players concerned about anti-tamper overhead.
Key Takeaways
- Denuvo has been removed from the Steam version of 007 First Light roughly two months after the May 26, 2026 launch.
- SteamDB tracked the change, confirming the official PC build is now DRM-free.
- The first Year One content update, patch 1.1.0, adds two TacSim Escalation missions, three weapons, a new outfit, and fixes for over 200 issues.
- IO Interactive disclosed Denuvo only six days before launch, sparking pre-order backlash over the late DRM reveal.
- Recent Steam reviews sit at about 89% positive over the last 30 days, according to TechPowerUp.
The Bond origin game from IO Interactive shipped with Denuvo on PC—a surprise many buyers only learned late. That anti-tamper layer is now gone from the Steam release, according to TechPowerUp, which cited SteamDB tracking for the DRM-free status.
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Why was Denuvo removed from 007 First Light so quickly?
IO Interactive has not published a detailed public statement explaining the exact timing. TechPowerUp notes the studio recently conducted layoffs after ending a partnership on its Project Fantasy IP, with Bloomberg identifying Xbox as the external partner.
Reporting there also floats speculation that monthly Denuvo licensing—often cited around $30,000—may have become harder to justify after budget pressure. Separately, sales from DRM-skeptical buyers could outweigh losses to piracy once the layer is gone. Those cost and sales angles remain speculative.
What is clear: the Steam build no longer carries Denuvo, easing hardware-change restrictions that frustrate upgraders and benchmark testers.
What else does the 007 First Light patch include?
Alongside the DRM news, IO Interactive’s first Year One content drop is live on all platforms. Patch 1.1.0 adds two three-tier Escalation TacSim missions—The Workshop and Extraction Avenue—plus three weapons: the Stormberg 50’cal handgun, DRX-2 Machine Pistol, and DRS-7 Silenced SMG, along with a new outfit.
IO Interactive says the update addresses over 200 community and internal issues. Download size is about 24 GB on PS5 and under 4 GB on PC and Xbox, Video Games Chronicle and Polygon report.
How did players react to Denuvo at launch?
IO Interactive announced Denuvo only six days before the May 26 release, after pre-orders were already open. That late disclosure led many gamers to consider canceling, TechPowerUp reports.
Critics often blame Denuvo-style DRM for performance quirks and other limits. With the layer gone and a sizable quality patch live, the studio is betting goodwill—and the game’s strong recent review score—will keep momentum through Year One.