Apex Legends ban wave hits millions of accounts, but is it enough?

Esports and Tech Writer

Publish Date: August 25, 2024

EA responds to the rampant cheating problem in Apex Legends with updated anti-cheat measures and a wave of mass bans.

Although Apex Legends consistently ranks among the most-played competitive shooters, it has notoriously weak security. Bots, wall hackers, and other cheaters make it into Apex Legends games, disrupting balance and fun. Fans found the cheating unacceptable for a game as popular as Apex Legends, backed by a massive publisher. The worst instance occurred when a notorious hacker hijacked the Apex Legends Global Series. Amid regional finals, DarkZero player Noyan “Genburten” Ozkose suddenly obtained wallhacks and lost control of his mouse, spamming taunts all the while. The incident stopped the esports tourney for a while and reignited discussions of better security for Apex Legends.

The developers finally gave an in-depth response to the cheating problem.

Does Apex Legends have a new anti-cheat?

Apex Legends developers will deploy new security tools and updates for its existing Easy Anti-Cheat software.

Currently, Apex Legends uses Easy Anti-Cheat as its main defense against hackers. As previous incidents have showcased, it is an imperfect solution. Fans quickly pointed out that EAC is one of the worst anti-cheat engines in the industry, and some even called for a change.

Instead of replacing anti-cheat entirely, the developers opted to enhance what it already has. Anti-cheat remains a controversial software for players, as it has to strike a balance between non-invasive and effective. Riot’s Vanguard infamously drew the ire of fans for kernel-level access, potentially endangering systems. Still, the team did take more proactive steps to solve the cheating epidemic.

Apex Legends ban wave takes out over six million accounts since 2019

The developers banned over 100,000 players monthly in the most recent Apex Legends ban wave.

In June and July 2024 alone, the developers banned over 209,000 players. Most account bans were due to cheating, while the developers banned others for being bots. Respawn also revealed a dedicated team focused on monitoring bad behavior in games.

Fans appreciated the transparency but felt disappointed by the lack of concrete progress. Many pointed out that these bans were a band-aid, as cheaters could easily bypass the current anti-cheat system with new accounts.

With time, Respawn may fix the cheating epidemic, but fans will have to deal with the issue for a while longer.