FIFA 23: EA comes with its own kernel-based anti-cheat

Electronic Art will use its own kernel-based anti-cheat system starting with FIFA 23. EA Anti Cheat (EAAC) was developed in-house and, if successful, should also find its way into other games of the house, as has already been announced. In a blog post, EA speaks of an “anti-cheat and anti-tamper solution” that works at the kernel level in the system, which will raise some eyebrows. Programs with such deep access to the system can do all sorts of things that the user hardly notices, and they also pose a certain security risk.

When Activision-Blizzard showed up with its own kernel-level anti-cheat program, gamers weren’t thrilled either. In the end, the only option is not to play the products if you don’t want the code on your computer. EA justifies the move with the fact that cheat developers have “increasingly penetrated the kernel” and “therefore we need protective measures in kernel mode to ensure fairness and meet the developers of PC cheats on an equal footing.”

The measure is also intended to protect console players, because from FIFA 23 (buy now €69.99) Crossplay between PC, Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X/S is possible. “The EAAC not only protects our PC players from cheaters,” says EA, “also our console players who compete against PC opponents are protected from cheaters who operate on PC platforms.”

FIFA 23 just the beginning

Logically, Electronic Arts tries to allay concerns in the blog post that players might have about the deep system penetration. EA believes that EAAC will have “negligible impact” on the system and gameplay, because it is also clear that every task on the system also requires resources. It also emphasizes that EAAC runs during a gaming session and it “does not collect any information about your browsing history, applications not associated with EA games, or anything not directly related to anti-cheat protection. ” Uninstalling FIFA 23 will automatically remove EAAC. “We have worked with independent third-party computer security and privacy providers to ensure that privacy is a priority at EAAC,” said EA.

After FIFA 23, without a doubt, the other games with online experience and leaderboards are on the agenda, from sports games to the shooters like Battlefield and Apex Legends (currently Easy Anti-Cheat). Single-player titles or games with less competitive relevance, such as The Sims, should be spared.

Source: Electronic Arts