Apex Legends Removes Steam Deck Support Due to Cheating Surge
Electronic Arts (EA) has announced the termination of Apex Legends support for all Linux-based systems, including the popular Steam Deck handheld. This decision, detailed in a recent blog post by EA Community Manager EA_Mako, cites the escalating prevalence of cheats and exploits originating from the Linux platform.
EA characterizes the open-source nature of Linux as a significant vulnerability, stating that it provides "a path for a variety of impactful exploits and cheats." The company highlights the difficulty in detecting these cheats, which are reportedly proliferating at an unsustainable rate.
Furthermore, the flexibility of Linux allows malicious actors to effectively mask their cheating activities, hindering EA's efforts to enforce anti-cheat measures. This makes identifying legitimate Linux users from cheaters a considerable challenge.
EA_Mako emphasized the difficult choice of impacting a portion of the player base. The decision, they explained, prioritized the overall health and fair play of the broader Apex Legends community over maintaining support for a relatively small, yet increasingly problematic, segment of Linux users. The lack of reliable methods to distinguish legitimate Steam Deck users from cheaters further solidified this decision.
The inherent difficulty in distinguishing legitimate Steam Deck users from cheaters, due to Linux being the default operating system on the device, played a significant role in EA's decision. "There is currently no reliable way for us to differentiate a legitimate Steam Deck from a malicious cheat claiming to be a Steam Deck (via Linux)," Mako stated.
While acknowledging the disappointment this decision may cause among some players and Linux advocates, EA maintains that this action is crucial for preserving the integrity and fairness of the game for the majority of its players on other supported platforms. These platforms remain unaffected by this change.
