It's been known for a while now that EA would be rolling out EA Anti-cheat to Battlefield 1, but D-Day has finally arrived for Linux gaming on Battlefield 1, making it just the latest title to lose its Steam Deck compatibility. Many Steam Deck owners and Linux gamers are being greeted by a compatibility error message upon trying to open Battlefield 1 today due to the EA anti-cheat update.
EA's Approach to Anti-cheat
The incompatibility in the case of Battlefield 1 stems from EA's proprietary anti-cheat implementation relying on kernel-level hardware access to prevent cheating. Generally speaking, it's impossible to make anti-cheat that operates in kernel mode compatible with Linux, since Linux and the Steam Deck rely on translation layers like Proton and WINE for Windows game compatibility, but some anti-cheat software, like Easy Anti-cheat and BattleEye, have Linux compatibility baked in.
A Familiar Situation
A similar story played out just last month when Rockstar Games added BattleEye anti-cheat to GTA Online but neglected to enable Linux support, immediately earning the distrust of many Linux and Steam Deck gamers and likely pouring cold water over much of the GTA VI hype. As a result of that instance, Valve pulled GTA V and GTA Online from its Steam Deck Top Played Games list and started issuing refunds to upset GTA V buyers who suddenly couldn't access their games.
Valve's Silence on Battlefield 1
Valve has not reacted in any way to Battlefield 1's Steam Deck compatibility loss, but it seems unlikely that the same refund policy will be followed, since GTA V was advertised much more aggressively as a Steam Deck game than Battlefield 1 was. Needless to say, however, the addition of kernel anti-cheat has resulted in a sudden spike in negative Steam user reviews.
Reddit, Steam, EA's forums are buzzing with complaints from frustrated players, making it clear that the anti-cheat decision has not gone over well.
