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.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/834730/Crazy_Justice/
no one will play it. they all will play fortnite
Quoting: alejandro-bringasJust one thing to mention.
Goodbye Windoze
Indeed. The only reason why keep my windows partition is so I can play, maybe, three games. And those won't work because of EAC. If I can get Division 2 to work, I'm nuking my Windows partition. The thing doesn't even want to upgrade anymore. Leave it to Rob Us Blind Microsoft to design an overpriced OS that tells you to simply reinstall.
Last edited by sr_ls_boy on 24 September 2021 at 12:00 am UTC
Quoting: SalvatosNot just for Linux, but seemingly for Valve's sole benefit when it comes to supporting Wine and Proton specifically. What's going on at Epic? Maybe they intend to add Proton to their own launcher and profit from Valve's work...
I don't think it's necessarily Valve's sole benefit. Getting it to work in wine (and therefore proton) is probably more beneficial short term. You get more games working on Linux faster as opposed to trying to port to native (even if EAC now works on native).
I think this benefits every store that sells games with EAC. Valve had the biggest store and stand to gain the most through sales, some may argue they are too big. That's neither her nor there, but think of all the Steam Decks and Linux/proton installs are suddenly working; That can suddenly engage in micro transactions, etc.
I think there are a lot of benefits for everyone. I also share the idea (or hope?) that this might be the first steps to better Linux support from Epic's store.
Last edited by denyasis on 24 September 2021 at 12:40 am UTC
slaapliedje Sep 24, 2021
Quoting: RossBCWonder if Microsoft will show how much they love Linux when Halo:infinite drops... Assuming it uses EAC, pretty sure MC:C did.That Halo collection works flawlessly in Proton, at least when I tested it last. I don't know if they really have much of a choice. If they create something that tries to detect Wine use, the coders will work out a way to hide it...
Last edited by Liam Dawe on 24 September 2021 at 2:58 pm UTC
Quoting: slaapliedjeThat Halo collection works flawlessly in Proton, at least when I tested it last. I don't know if they really have much of a choice. If they create something that tries to detect Wine use, the coders will work out a way to hide it...
To my understanding, you need to use the none eac executable and only get access to campaign and you need to use a external means to play on none official open servers.
So when it works without having to circumvent anything, to play with all other people.
Edit: Wonder how many developers will choose to tick those boxes and or whatever else they need to do, for it to happen.
Downloading Fortnight just to see if they enabled it on their own product.
DBFZ- no go currently.
Darwin Project - no go currently.
Last edited by RossBC on 24 September 2021 at 2:49 am UTC
Quoting: Rafii2198Do we know which games support it now or are going to support it?
How many (EAC using) games, have been recompiled using the required latest SDK, as well as having the Proton/Wine options enabled, and had that game update pushed via Steam, in the hours since this announcement?
I would guess ZERO.
Quoting: michaWhat a bunch of Steam from a Deck can do..Seems Steam from a Deck can cook up a lot!
This is so great
let's hope my friends will finally switch to Linux at this news 
this was the main reason as to why they said "no" 
Quoting: x4merYeah, it'll take a while. Good thing this announcement comes with still a couple months before Steam Deck launch. Should give them a bit of time to get ducks in row.Quoting: Rafii2198Do we know which games support it now or are going to support it?
How many (EAC using) games, have been recompiled using the required latest SDK, as well as having the Proton/Wine options enabled, and had that game update pushed via Steam, in the hours since this announcement?
I would guess ZERO.
Patreon
PayPal
See more from me