Today, Easy Anti-Cheat from Epic Games / Epic Online Services has officially announced a full expansion for Linux including native builds and Wine + Proton. This is big for Linux Gaming and the Steam Deck.
For those who don't know, Epic Games owns Easy Anti-Cheat and earlier this year they made it free for all developers making Windows games. Today this has been expanded to fully support developers doing native Linux games (and macOS too).
Not only that, this is the big one we've been waiting for — they've also expanded Easy Anti-Cheat support officially for the Wine and Steam Play Proton compatibility layers.
Earlier this year, Easy Anti-Cheat for Windows games was made available to all developers, for free. Today, we extend support to Linux and Mac for developers who maintain full native builds of their games for these platforms.
To make it easy for developers to ship their games across PC platforms, support for the Wine and Proton compatibility layers on Linux is included. Starting with the latest SDK release, developers can activate anti-cheat support for Linux via Wine or Proton with just a few clicks in the Epic Online Services Developer Portal.
Sadly it's not an automatic thing for Wine and Proton, as developers do need to actively go and do those "few clicks" but it's a huge step. In the documentation, it says how developers need to "test and activate client module updates for Linux regularly in addition to Windows". Hopefully many developers will go and do it, since it sounds like very little effort on their part. Considering just how many of the most popular games use Easy Anti-Cheat, this is the start of something massive.
Have a favourite Windows game that doesn't work on Linux currently with Proton or Wine? Looks like it's time to politely ask them to hook it up. Just a few of those that would hopefully work if developers update include:
- Apex Legends
- Dead by Daylight
- Fall Guys
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection
- Rust
A good time to remind game developers and readers to ensure you email us news tips, especially if a game enables this to start working so we don't miss it.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Sep 23, 2021
I wonder how many games will get updates? I'd imagine older or smaller titles won't benefit.
rustybroomhandle Sep 23, 2021
Quoting: ZeloxQuoting: rustybroomhandleWe're about to find out how little some of these publishers/developers actually care about Linux. "just a few clicks", can they be bothered?
Trust me when I say this, its not really just a click on a button. Iv say this from experience as a software developer.
No devs dont care about linux, they care about making money. This is just a step for epic to futureproof themselves. Valve dont really care about linux at all eather. But linux is something that works great for valves ideology, invent tools that passionate people will do all the work with. The only thing valve care about is selling games, hardware and make there client futureproof. Windows is a threat for any game client, and valve is very aware of this. Windows store will probably be even harder to not use in windows 11.
Sry for sounding so negative, but Im really tired of hearing, its just a click on a button.
And this is great news :).
Well it sounds like the "few clicks" is to activate it through their admin portal, so yeah it is just a few clicks on a web site.
Quoting: einherjarQuoting: KimyrielleNot sure why they thought it would be a good idea to make developers perform a "few clicks" to enable other platform support. Developers quite frankly shouldn't have a say about what platforms people run their software on. Just enable it for all EAC games, with no way to turn it off. :S
Hm, freedom of choice - but not for game devs?
No one should be forced to support Linux IMHO.
i think if an software took away control form the developers of where their software/game is shipped, this software would be dumped by many big companies, because its damage their capabilitie of charging for platforms like stadia to support their platforms.
unless you are big like valve and essential to their business that move could make game developers dump you.
as for counting it as freedom? i'm not sure if it counts.
veryepicgamer69 Sep 23, 2021
slaapliedje Sep 23, 2021
But that's what I get for having a tasty margarita for lunch and a steak. Talk about food coma!
Quoting: slaapliedjeI first read this as there being a port for EGS to linux and that they were integrating Proton!
But that's what I get for having a tasty margarita for lunch and a steak. Talk about food coma!
I guess, that plumbing support for Linux in your games could be considered laying the ground work for expanded support later on. I mean why have a store support an OS that the games can't fully run on?
StalePopcorn Sep 23, 2021
EAC is a concern on a lot of games, and it takes the pressure off EA and puts it on the devs to activate it. Remember, even New World uses EAC. Ashes of Creation uses it too I think.
It's used a lot across the board, and now the pressure is on to the devs.
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