Image via Nvidia

DLSS modder implements anti-piracy DRM into mods

Mods locked behind DRM? More likely than you'd think.

Since Starfield is being optimized for AMD hardware, it’s likely the game won’t support any competing upscaling technologies by default. These, of course, being Nvidia’s DLSS and Intel’s XeSS. Historically, AMD-sponsored video games are usually limited purely to FSR 1.0/2.0, which puts modder PureDark in a unique position.

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For context, PureDark is responsible for unofficial implementations of Nvidia DLSS into games that don’t support this upscaler by default. This is a huge boon for Nvidia graphics cards owners due to better performance and image quality compared to FSR. The tricky bit, however, is that PureDark has started locking their mods behind a $5 Patreon subscription, and it would seem that they’ve taken things a step further than ever before by setting up Patreon-based DRM for their modded files.

Starfield’s DLSS mod may end up paywalled

PureDark previously announced that they’d have DLSS’s frame generation and image upscaling functionality ready for Starfield as soon as possible. Their decision to set up a Patreon authentication system for mods is, therefore, suspiciously timely ahead of Starfield‘s launch. Given that Starfield‘s system requirements are reasonably hefty, Nvidia RTX GPU users would naturally hope to leverage DLSS in the game. And searching for this would eventually lead them to PureDark’s mods.

There’s definitely an argument for crediting modders for their hard work. Comprehensive and valuable feature-level additions like PureDark’s DLSS injectors can make a world of difference for players. It’s also easy to see why the community might feel rubbed the wrong way by actual DRM in mods. Some reports claim that it’s a one-time payment, so PureDark’s DLSS mods may not require a persistent subscription.

However, others claim this is not the case at all, and that game patches – which often come in rapid succession – break PureDark’s mods on a regular basis. According to Reddit user jackyflc, “everytime a game update releases, the mod breaks and you will have to pay another $5 to resub and download the updated mod.”

It’s going to be interesting to see whether Nvidia reacts to PureDark’s entrepreneurship, of course. While the company appears to have taken a more hands-off approach to DLSS integrations, allowing devs to do it for free, it’s possible that PureDark may have stepped on its toes with this development.


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Image of Filip Galekovic
Filip Galekovic
A lifetime gamer and writer, Filip has successfully made a career out of combining the two just in time for the bot-driven AI revolution to come into its own.