EA blocks users of Linux systems from the online shooter “Apex Legends”: the game can no longer be started under Linux, EA writes in a forum post. “Although this will impact some ‘Apex’ players, we believe this decision will significantly reduce the incidence of cheating.”
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Linux systems have been seen as a gateway to exploitation and fraud, EA executesThe Linux block apparently also affects users of Steam Deck, whose SteamOS operating system is based on Linux. If you want to play “Apex Legends” on Steam Deck in the future, you will need to install Windows on it.
“Attractive to fraudsters”
“The openness of the Linux operating system makes it attractive to fraudsters and fraudulent developers,” EA says, explaining the decision. Fraud is more difficult to detect under Linux. According to EA, internal data shows that the frequency of fraud under Linux requires development effort that cannot be justified by the small number of legitimate Linux users.
This step was decided to improve the gaming experience of the majority of the player base. The fight against cheaters regularly ties up resources in large online games. Cheaters give cheaters an unfair advantage that ruins the fun for other players and can therefore have massive economic consequences for developers.
Other online games also block Linux
Technical countermeasures cost money and development time. They are not always popular among fair players – for example when they operate at the kernel level. EA’s decision to lock out Linux users too Received worse than expected in the community,
But EA isn’t alone in this: the anti-cheat platforms of many major multiplayer titles exclude Linux entirely. These include “Fortnite”, “Call of Duty” and “FIFA”/”EA FC” games. Linux players were also locked out of “League of Legends” this year after Riot Games introduced the anti-cheat tool “Vanguard.”
“Half of anti-cheat is making sure the environment hasn’t been tampered with, and that’s extremely difficult in Linux. Any backdoor we leave open is immediately exploited by developers for cheating. goes.” wrote riotLeague of Legends is only played by about 800 Linux users every day – the risk of cheating is not worth it given this small number.
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