Respawn Cuts Linux Support for Apex Legends in Bold Move to Stop Cheaters

Respawn Entertainment has finally dropped its support for Linux for Apex Legends, stating it is part of its anti-cheat move. This is bad news for the Linux users, but for Respawn, it is just a continuation of the war against cheaters. Fortunately, Steam Deck users have an alternative through a Windows installation.

Why Respawn Dropped Linux Support

Cheating Issues Plagued Apex Legends

The last two years, serious cheating issues plagued Apex Legends, affecting game quality and competition balance. The call for Respawn to have greater emphasis on anti-cheating measures came from community feedback, and thus they undertook massive overhauls to keep the integrity of the game intact.

Developer Choice: Dropping Support for Linux

Recently, Respawn released a statement that Linux and Steam Deck players will be losing official support for Apex Legends. Respawn's reasoning was that Linux is open source, and thus there were potential vulnerabilities that gave cheaters the ability to exploit the system. In solving this problem, they reasoned that maintaining competitive standards is necessary.

Also Read: GTA 6 Trailer 2 Rumors and Rockstar’s Update Strategy: November Release?

Player Demographics Played a Role

According to Respawn, Linux users constitute a small percentage of Apex Legends overall player base. Despite declining numbers, a meaningful portion of cheaters were believed to be leveraging the Linux platform. By dropping Linux support, Respawn aims to cut down cheating risks significantly.

A Common Trend in Competitive Shooters

Other competitive games, including Fortnite and Valorant, also don't support Linux to avoid cheating risks. The move is in line with the industry trend since competitive games prefer closed systems over open-source options to ensure security.

Steam Deck Users Still Have Options

While Linux support is ending, Steam Deck users can still play Apex Legends by installing windows. Respawn affirmed that this work-around ensures that the game will be playable on Steam Deck, but with an additional step of setup.

Respawn is now leading to the release of Season 23 in Apex Legends. It maintains the firm efforts against cheating that has enhanced gameplay for players across the board. Losing support to Linux is disheartening but falls into the spectrum of normalcy within competition in the gaming industry as a whole. The fans therefore, hope updates later would be continued towards cheating by the game, and consequently making it fun for professional players.