While there isn't a single "formal" academic paper with that exact title, the discussion surrounding Black Myth: Wukong and its use of

Black Myth: Wukong represents a massive milestone in the industry. While the DRM and exclusivity details can be confusing, the game itself is a must-play experience that is best enjoyed through legitimate channels to ensure you get the full, supported experience.

With the massive launch of Black Myth: Wukong, there is a lot of confusion circulating regarding the Denuvo protection, "offline activation" sellers, and whether the DRM is exclusive to certain platforms.

7. Conclusion

Non-C-exclusive offline activation for Black Myth: Wukong exists as a grey-market service, offering transferable offline access across multiple PCs for a fraction of the retail price. However, it is technically unstable (Denuvo re-authentication triggers), legally dubious, and carries significant security risks. Official purchase remains the only reliable and ethical method to play the game.

TL;DR: Denuvo is standard PC protection, not a console exclusive feature. Do not buy cheap "offline activations" from shady sellers; you risk losing your Steam account. Support the devs directly!

Initial Launch: You must be online for the very first launch to generate the unique Denuvo hardware ID.