In the latest Apex Legends dev update, game director Steven Ferreira addressed anti-cheat and the recent decision to ban Linux players from accessing the game. This ban impacted Steam Deck users, taking the game from Verified to Unsupported, but Respawn is “pleased to report” that the controversial move is playing out as expected so far thanks to a “meaningful reduction” in instances of cheating being identified.
Apex Legends was once one of the most played games each month on the best handheld gaming PC, but with the introduction of the Linux block a few months ago, Steam Deck owners can no longer access the game without dual-booting their device. As a result, Apex Legends has long since fallen out of the monthly top 100 games list.
Respawn’s Linux block was introduced on October 31, 2024, and very little has been said about it since, which is why this recent comment is welcome, even if it isn’t necessarily what Steam Deck players will want to hear.
It would have been nice for Respawn to provide more context than simply stating that it is “pleased to report a meaningful reduction in the amount of cheating recently.” That’s especially the case given the general reaction in the YouTube comments from players that suggest that the reduction in cheating has had nothing to do with the Linux ban but is instead due to the dwindling player base.
SteamDB numbers suggest that Apex Legends player numbers are declining, with a peak of 470,696 players logging in for the debut of Season 20 in February 2024 compared to just 225,941 for the launch of Season 23 with a rare dip below the 100,000 mark also occurring on January 28, 2024.
There’s no telling whether the Linux ban is truly the reason behind the reduction in cheating, but Respawn is content enough for now, so Steam Deck players will have to continue booting Windows in order to keep playing the game.
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