Deathloop came out to rave reviews, earning perfect scores from some outlets and a 9/10 from us. However, it didn’t take long after it launched before it ran into troubles. PC users were reporting a serious stuttering issue, turning enjoyment into frustration. Steam users were quick to bring the game to a mixed rating. Developer Arkane did respond, saying fixing it was the company’s main “priority.” Today, Arkane has released a Deathloop PC patch that may put its stuttering issues to bed once and for all.
The patch itself contains no additional changes beyond the fix. It also mentions that the fix is being applied not for Denuvo, but for mouse controls: “This hotfix addresses an issue experienced by some players on PC whereby mouse-based camera movement could result in the appearance of ‘stutter,’” reads the patch notes.
“Additionally, we are looking into a separate, but related issue that we have identified as a factor that may also be a cause of stuttering at high framerates,” the notes continue. “We will update further on this as soon as we have more information. Thank you for your continued patience and your help in submitting support tickets and participating in the hotfix beta branch test this past weekend.”
Tampering with performance
The true cause behind Deathloop‘s stuttering was a contentious one. Some blamed the anti-tamper software Denuvo, but others, like Digital Foundry’s Alexander Battaglia, believed it was related to performance. Considering the patch notes, it appears Arkane narrowed it down to camera movement via the mouse. That likely doesn’t exonerate Denuvo completely, though, as Arkane does mention that a “separate, but related issue” is also a concern. Denuvo has been accused of hampering performance. And sometimes, it even gets removed completely.
The Deathloop PC stuttering patch released today should, hopefully, allow you to play the game without problems. Of course, time will tell. Let’s just hope history won’t repeat with this particular problem.
