Easy Anti-Cheat are apparently "pausing" their Linux support, which could be a big problem (updated)

can i first of just say that nothing is confirmed, and that its FP that has said this and i cant say they have much in the way of credibility recently.

There's no reason to think a game developer, one so well known, would lie about this.

Epic does not support Linux builds of their editors, and they barely if ever support developers releasing Linux clients of games built with the editor.

can i first of just say that nothing is confirmed, and that its FP that has said this and i cant say they have much in the way of credibility recently.

Interestingly, Epic Games actually acquired the maker of Easy Anti-Cheat last year, so perhaps Linux is becoming a casualty of that? I'm not saying it is but it wouldn't surprise me.

personally i feel that's a bit far fetched esp given that Epic do generally support linux builds of their editor etc if they was that anal about linux that would not be a thing in all honesty....

More reason to hate epic as a linux user? Hmmm, didn't expect that...

i would not jump to conclusions, nothing is set in stone

Can't Epic Games just die somewhere lonely in a corner?

is this honestly called for.

i'm just going to leave it at, when everyone is sat bashing company's over things repeatedly no wonder they are not gunna be open to supporting this platform, no... they are gunna turn around and be like "no stuff those guys"

please, can people just not jump to conclusions wait for actual responses and not just hate on everything in existence i cant say it helps

Epic does not support their editor on Linux, and they barely support developers who want to port their games to Linux.

Don't blame me for others behaviour, that's ridiculous. As you said, it was a single line and I was very clearly speculating. Irresponsible?

You deliberately fanned the flames despite having no evidence whatsoever, surely it's no surprise to you that people picked up on it?

You're misinterpreting my intentions. I did not deliberately try to stir anything up, stop acting like I am. It is interesting and on-point that Epic Games acquired them. Not long after, we now find this out. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to say they're related, in fact I still think it's quite possible hence me mentioning it.

There's a difference between having an opinion, matching a few things up and mentioning it - to intentionally starting a witch hunt (something I absolutely don't want). However, I'm also not afraid to give my opinion on my own website.


Last edited by Liam Dawe on 5 May 2019 at 6:28 pm UTC

Could everyone please stop giving Liam a hard time? It's not his fault that sometimes things don't work out, and some good things don't happen.

This is an uphill battle, and not having casualties is kind of ridiculous. I'm glad that the games that work, do indeed work well. There have to be some companies that deem it too difficult/too time consuming. Liam is not at fault that EAC is one of them. Also, Liam is not at fault that ignoring Linux makes sense, and is profitable, especially to companies that want to establish themselves as much as possible (i.e. the other game company).

I won't say that epicFail hadn't deserved all of the hate that they got, just most of it. Nonetheless, we should remain civilised. They didn't do this out of malice; it simply makes business sense. It's nothing personal. It's Ok not to condone their predatory tactics, but going so far as to wish their destruction and speculating about what kind of devilish party had caused them to allegedly 'pause' EAC Linux support is just not the 'nix way.


Last edited by appetrosyan on 5 May 2019 at 7:04 pm UTC

I take that back, it just hit me, Minecraft still runs on Linux, MS still has their silly Linux on Windows stuff going, and MS doen't feel Linux as a threat, the only one that does is the Chinese gov', which owns 48% of Epic stock. The Chinese gov' can't force Linux to create backdoors into peoples software/OS as there is not central controlling body for Linux, and no for-profit company, like MS/Apple, whose finances are so dependent on sales in China that they would bend over backwards to appease the Chinese gov' just to get into that market.

WTF, the CCP has nothing to do with all of this, Tencent has no control over Epic and they have their own shop, WeGame, that they are thinking of releasing worldwide.
https://www.scmp.com/tech/china-tech/article/2154272/tencents-wegame-platform-push-go-global-heating-rivalry-pc-gaming

Also, chinese government and any other government that wants to rivalize with the US hegemony would prefer Linux over Windows since Windows is full of CIA backdoors. They don't need to spy on us, they only spy on it's own people through the internet, and that affects Linux too.

China runs mostly on Linux and M$ Шindows knockoffs (i.e. non-genuine copies) so they would be interested in more support.

Alternate title:

Easy Anti-Cheat extend gesture of kindness to Linux gamers by sunsetting support for literal spyware.

Oh, my.
These "China bad!" posts are kinda funny, no matter where they pop up and no matter how far from any topic they are.
It's like rule 34, but for games: "No matter what you are discussing, at some point, someone will try to turn the discussion into 'China bad'".

Epic Waste. This even is not sad anymore. It's funny, how Epic does everything what gamers hate so much ;)


Last edited by Avikarr on 5 May 2019 at 8:15 pm UTC

Is there already a flame going on I haven't noticed? Instead of blaming Liam, let's just agree on waiting for more info before we really jump to conclusions. At some point, they will give an official statement.

With regards to this community: There's never a reason to spread hate upon any person or company. It makes both the person spreading hate and our community look bad. Always remember that for a 1% platform, we are really blessed with games. Enjoy gaming on linux, emphasize and connect with other players. That's the best way to promote our platform.


Last edited by const on 5 May 2019 at 8:25 pm UTC

So Epic are happy to use linux backend software and to provide engine support (kind of to linux) but they dont have a linux client or any intention of developing one. They are buying whole studios to gain exclusives rocket league being a worrying high profile linux indie title that will now be leaving steam. I hope valve dont pull well a valve and cut off the money tap because things arent going as well as they planned (see Steam box/Steam Link/Steam broadcasting etc)

You're misinterpreting my intentions. I did not deliberately try to stir anything up, stop acting like I am. It is interesting and on-point that Epic Games acquired them. Not long after, we now find this out. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to say they're related, in fact I still think it's quite possible hence me mentioning it.

If you honestly, truly believe that this conspiracy theory is not only possible, but probable, then I've seriously misjudged you. Oh well...

You're misinterpreting my intentions. I did not deliberately try to stir anything up, stop acting like I am. It is interesting and on-point that Epic Games acquired them. Not long after, we now find this out. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to say they're related, in fact I still think it's quite possible hence me mentioning it.

If you honestly, truly believe that this conspiracy theory is not only possible, but probable, then I've seriously misjudged you. Oh well...

Why wouldn't it be probable? Epic have no plans for Linux support of their Store, Epic's CEO very clearly doesn't care given all the repeating statements against supporting Linux and the list goes on. Now they've been acquired by Epic and months later a game developer has said they're pausing Linux support. If you think that it's improbable, fair enough. However, what's first to go when a company is cost cutting - the one not used a lot - Linux.

You're misinterpreting my intentions. I did not deliberately try to stir anything up, stop acting like I am. It is interesting and on-point that Epic Games acquired them. Not long after, we now find this out. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to say they're related, in fact I still think it's quite possible hence me mentioning it.

If you honestly, truly believe that this conspiracy theory is not only possible, but probable, then I've seriously misjudged you. Oh well...

Just a few posts ago you were pointing out that the Epic Store not being on Linux was more likely a logistical business decision rather than a malicious one. Why, then, is the suggestion that they made a similar business decision about EAC a farfetched "conspiracy theory"?

It's really funny how everyone already grabbed their pitchforks against Epic despite the whole connection being limited to a single line of unsubstantiated, irresponsible speculation by Liam.

No wonder why some companies aren't willing to engage with such a level-headed, well-mannered crowd...

Well we cant all be level headed and in anyway trying to edgy.... It's not just Linux attacking Epic its gamers in general including a sizeable windows market portion but peoples beef is mainly around exclusives price fixing at least here in the Uk as games are universally cheaper on steam than they are on the Epic store (cant speak to other regions)Yes they are business but many of there decisions are so anti consumer, I cant help but get a little pissed at the way they are approaching things. But maybe it's just me maybe fucking people over is the way to go but to suceed in business,it's not an approach i personally care for.

They are buying whole studios to gain exclusives rocket league being a worrying high profile linux indie title that will now be leaving steam. I hope valve dont pull well a valve and cut off the money tap because things arent going as well as they planned (see Steam box/Steam Link/Steam broadcasting etc)

Well, developers of Rocket league already said, that it'll stay on Steam and will get continous support and addons on this platform. At least this is clear. I hope they'll keep the word.

Just a few posts ago you were pointing out that the Epic Store not being on Linux was more likely a logistical business decision rather than a malicious one. Why, then, is the suggestion that they made a similar business decision about EAC a farfetched "conspiracy theory"?

Because the business case for EAC supporting Linux is no different today than it was a month ago, with or without Epic. So the only reason people are arguing "it's because of Epic" is this weird conspiracy theory that these cartoon villians are deliberately trying to fuck with Linux users. Or are you telling me the business case for Linux has changed in a month?

There is another possible reason. EAC finished Linux support because they want to focus on Proton support.

That would have been a great point to make in the article, especially since it already includes speculation.

We don't know shit, that's the fact.

That's exactly my point! People have already grabbed their pitchforks and are marching down the proverbial streets with no evidence whatsoever.

It is juvenile, pathetic and does NOT help attract developers to our platform at all. I personally know multiple developers who decided against a Linux version of their games because they saw how the "community" behaved on other games.

I've seen people with hundreds of hours in Rust asking - with a straight face - whether they could get a refund now that Facepunch is dropping Linux due to middleware issues. As long as those people are the vocal ones, devs will continue to be disincentivized to port their games. Conspiracy theories about how cartoon villains are conspiring against Linux don't help either.

But again, what do I know, I just work in this industry.


Last edited by callcifer on 5 May 2019 at 11:25 pm UTC

It is juvenile, pathetic and does NOT help attract developers to our platform at all. I personally know multiple developers who decided against a Linux version of their games because they saw how the "community" behaved on other games.

You're making it sound like only the Linux community gets heated. That's very disingenuous and you know it.

But again, what do I know, I just work in this industry.

So you keep saying but without something to show for it, all people will think is you're another armchair expert trying to make themselves sound important. Stop doing it. I'm not trying to be horrible here, seriously, but it's very annoying when people use a line like this, repeatedly, like their opinion is more important than others.

You're making it sound like only the Linux community gets heated. That's very disingenuous and you know it.

When Windows gamers get "heated" the developers don't have the luxury to stop supporting them. That's not the case for Linux. "I want to, but it's not worth the drama" is an exact phrase I've heard.

So you keep saying but without something to show for it, all people will think is you're another armchair expert trying to make themselves sound important. Stop doing it. I'm not trying to be horrible here, seriously, but it's very annoying when people use a line like this, repeatedly, like their opinion is more important than others.

I'm not saying my opinion is more important than yours, it's not, not sure where you got that. I'm just trying to give insight into how developers (particularly indie) tend to see the situation because I've been in that situation. If you don't believe me, that's fine. Maybe you could reach out to some developers who decided against a Linux port and ask them - off the record - their impressions of the community. I bet it won't be sunshines and rainbows.


Last edited by callcifer on 5 May 2019 at 11:44 pm UTC

Can I ask that you calm down a little? Or, at least, use wording to give the effect of calming down a little. It appears to me that you're getting hyped up, and ironically grabbing a pitchfork at what others are saying.

Fair enough, I'll tone it down.

it does look like whatever Epic gets involved in turns out bad for gaming on GNU/Linux.

I wonder, did you try playing any games on the Epic store? In my experience, it works pretty great. Both the store and the games. Well, only Satisfactory for me, but it works flawlessly.

For example, nobody was raising conspiracy theories - Epic is not out to destroy GNU/Linux, but neither is it lifting a finger to help the platform. That's not a conspiracy

Here's a link to the reddit thread of this exact article. That particular comment has 134 upvotes right now. I think that whole thread speaks for itself honestly.

if you'd like to continue on something you mentioned: users who can no longer play a game because of lack of EAC, but who paid the same money as, say, Windows people (who can keep playing) - doesn't that strike you as a little unfair? While a refund I don't think is suitable, surely there's something you could suggest that a developer could do to make up for it, even in a token fashion.

No, it's not at all unfair to me. When you pay for a game, you buy it as-is. There is no guarantee, implied or otherwise, of future content or support. The only exception to this is what a company explicitly chooses to support, like Valve's playtime based refund program.


Last edited by callcifer on 5 May 2019 at 11:48 pm UTC