1 apr 2024 om 10:06
Electronic Arts will add its controversial anti-cheat system to the PC version of Battlefield V on April 3 to combat cheaters in the game. It is the first time since 2020 that this game has been updated.
Electronic Arts late https://twitter.com/BattlefieldComm/status/1773001536206999598 that the EA Anticheat software will be added to Battlefield V on April 3. This step is striking, because the six-year-old shooting game has not received any updates since the summer of 2020.
With this measure, EA says it wants to ensure that the game becomes fairer. Battlefield V has had a lot of problems with cheaters in recent years. For example, they use software that allows them to shoot automatically, run very quickly or see where opponents are at all times, even if they are behind a wall.
According to EA, nothing will change for players with the update. Battlefield V’s performance would not suffer. The company previously added the same system to Battlefield 2042. That game was released in 2021. Anticheat is also already used for FIFA games and EA Sports FC.
Anti-cheat system is controversial
EA Anticheat is controversial because the system works at the kernel level. This means that the software constantly runs in the background on the computer’s operating system while playing and monitors whether cheating programs are being used. This gives the software full access to the user’s system. Any programs running in the background can potentially be viewed or manipulated.
Many gamers worry that if such anti-cheating software is hacked, it could allow malicious actors to steal personal information such as PC files, browsing history or passwords. This software could also be misused to disable antivirus systems and install malware.
According to game companies such as EA, such a drastic system is necessary, as cheat programs increasingly run in the operating system itself, instead of in the game memory. Those programs can only be detected with anti-cheating software that is also located in the operating system. EA promises that its Anticheat only looks out for programs that can be used to cheat in games, and that personal information is not collected.
EA Anticheat is only supported by the Windows operating system. Linux users cannot run this anti-cheating software, which means that Battlefield V will soon no longer be playable on this operating system. From April 3, it will also no longer be possible to play the shooting game via the gaming handheld Steam Deck, as it uses its own operating system.
