No Linux gaming: EA locks out the Steam deck of "Apex Legends"

EA is banning users of Linux systems from the online shooter "Apex Legends": The game can now no longer be launched under Linux, EA writes in a forum post. "Although this will affect a small number of 'Apex' players, we believe this decision will significantly reduce the incidence of cheating."

Linux systems have been noticed as a gateway for exploits and cheats, EA explains. The Linux block also explicitly affects users of Steam Deck, whose SteamOS operating system is based on Linux. Anyone who wants to play "Apex Legends" on the Steam Deck in future must install Windows on it.

"Attractive for cheaters"

"The openness of the Linux operating system makes it attractive to cheaters and cheat developers," says EA, explaining the decision. Cheats are more difficult to detect on Linux. According to EA, internal data shows that the frequency of cheating under Linux necessitates a development effort that cannot be justified by the small number of legitimate Linux users.

The decision to take this step was therefore made in order to improve the gaming experience for the vast majority of the player base. The fight against cheaters regularly ties up resources in large online games. Cheats give cheaters unfair advantages that spoil the fun for other players and can therefore have massive economic consequences for the developers.

Other online games also lock out Linux

Technical countermeasures cost money and development time. They are also not always popular with fair players –, for example when they work at kernel level. EA's decision to lock out Linux users also predictably goes down badly with the community.

However, EA is not alone in this: the anti-cheat platforms of many major multiplayer titles completely exclude Linux. These include "Fortnite", "Call of Duty" and the "FIFA"/"EA FC" games. Linux players were also kicked out of "League of Legends" this year after Riot Games introduced the anti-cheat tool "Vanguard".

"Half of the anti-cheat measures consist of ensuring that the environment has not been manipulated, and that is extremely difficult with Linux. Any backdoor we leave open is immediately exploited by developers for cheats," wrote Riot. Every day, League of Legends is only played by around 800 Linux users – and the risk of cheating is simply not worth it given this small number.

(dahe)