In Apex Legends the ban hammer has struck! A new anti-cheat program has targeted top players and clearly shows how widespread cheaters are on consoles now.
What is this anti-cheat? As the developers at Respawn Entertainment announced on Reddit, they have developed a brand new tool in recent months to detect cheaters.
The new tool has already banned 1,000 accounts from the game at its first use because they were using unauthorized software or gameplay improvements. These 1,000 accounts were just the result of the first week and also banned gamers who were playing with mouse and keyboard on console.
The developers also emphasize that they have extensively tested the tool in recent months, ensuring that all banned accounts are cheaters. They would additionally operate the tool on a conservative setting and currently only exclude identified cheaters.
Here you can watch the first trailer of Apex Legends once again:
Targeting the Top 100
Why are so many top players suddenly missing? The developers of Apex Legends have specifically launched the tool directly after its release against the top 100 ranked players on PC, but also on console. In doing so, 79 console players and 7 PC players from the top 100 list were banned.
This is likely also due to the fact that many of the top players on console are actually playing with mouse and keyboard, thus gaining an unfair advantage over controller players, which is now being punished.
What makes this tool so different? The developers emphasize that the new anti-cheat system is just another tool in their toolbox. They would always prioritize accuracy and must be able to distinguish normal gameplay from cheater gameplay, which is a long process.
The new tool is supposed to free Apex Legends from cheaters on consoles again, as that is also the focus of their current efforts.
How are fans reacting? Fans are reacting to the new anti-cheat measures with great joy. No one likes to play with cheaters, so there is no sympathy for the 1,000 cheaters removed from the game in a week by the new tool.
At the same time, the developers emphasize that the 79 from the top 100 refer to multiple top 100 lists, namely those of PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Hence, 79 out of 300 top players were banned when including the Nintendo Switch.
Apex Legends is taking a strong stance against cheaters and aims to make consoles safer again. What do you think? Should players who use mouse and keyboard in shooters on consoles be banned? Or do you think that’s not such a big deal? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! The competition from Riot is also diligently working on the anti-cheat issue, and you can earn money from it: Riot’s anti-cheat in LoL and Valorant is so good that you could earn almost 2 years’ salary if you overcome it
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