Ever since its launch, EA Sports WRC faced a number of problems that the development team proceeded to fix for the most part. The latest plan to add anticheat software to the PC version has players highly concerned, however.
EA Sports WRC marked the debut of EA Sports and Codemasters tackling an officially licensed WRC title. Its launch was not without complications, with some players experiencing severe performance issues, which numerous patches have aimed to rectify.
One of the most anticipated features was added in VR compatibility with the most recent bigger patch to version 1.8. Meanwhile, other players are still waiting for triple screen support - but instead, the headline for the upcoming 1.9 update belongs to the PC-only EA Anticheat.
On the surface, measures to prevent players from cheating in online modes are a good addition, especially considering the blatant corner cutting that is possible in some stages. This leads to leaderboard times that are not representative - or fair to anyone who runs the stages as intended.
The issue is not the intention, however, but rather the execution. EA Anticheat is a "kernel-mode anti-cheat and anti-tamper solution", as the explanation post continues. Very simply put, this means that the software operates at a very deep level of a PC system to prevent cheat engines from doing the same. Players are not fond of this idea, as it could introduce safety and stability issues on their systems.
EA addresses these concerns in its explanations, stating that "player privacy is a top concern of our Game Security & Anti-Cheat team". The software is developed in-house, but also with input of "independent, 3rd party security and privacy assessors to validate EA anticheat does not degrade the security posture of your PC and to ensure strict data privacy boundaries."
Of course, this will not erase doubts in the minds of each and every player. And there is no way around EA Anticheat if they want to keep playing EA Sports WRC. It is possible to remove the software manually, but "if you uninstall EA anticheat, any games that require EA anticheat protection will not be playable until EA anticheat is installed."
Yet, the reaction in the EA Forums and on platforms like Reddit is not exactly favorable, as there is no option not to use Anticheat when playing WRC - even in offline modes. The system is already in EA Sports FC 24, and it has caused issues with the popular football/soccer game both in its 2023 and 2024 editions, according to Reddit users.
For rally fans running Linux, the implementation of Anticheat could also mean that they will not be able to play EA Sports WRC at all anymore - which has happened with the likes of Battlefield V or the aforementioned EA Sports FC 24. Additionally, the Steam Deck version will also be affected, as Valve's powerful handheld console runs a Linux-based OS.
However, it has to be said that EA Sports WRC is not officially supported for Linux.
Other parts of the v1.9 update have not been announced yet. A release date is not known either, but the update could land relatively soon, considering the month-and-a-half gap between versions 1.6 and 1.8, the latter being released in late April.
What do you make of the EA Anticheat plans for EA Sports WRC? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
EA Sports WRC marked the debut of EA Sports and Codemasters tackling an officially licensed WRC title. Its launch was not without complications, with some players experiencing severe performance issues, which numerous patches have aimed to rectify.
One of the most anticipated features was added in VR compatibility with the most recent bigger patch to version 1.8. Meanwhile, other players are still waiting for triple screen support - but instead, the headline for the upcoming 1.9 update belongs to the PC-only EA Anticheat.
On the surface, measures to prevent players from cheating in online modes are a good addition, especially considering the blatant corner cutting that is possible in some stages. This leads to leaderboard times that are not representative - or fair to anyone who runs the stages as intended.
EA Anticheat: "Kernel-level Anti-cheat Solution"
EA Anticheat does not seem to address this, however. Instead, the software is introduced to prevent cheating software from doing its thing. "Protecting the competitive integrity of our leaderboards is integral to providing a fun, fair and authentic rally experience for everyone" states an explanation post on the EA website.The issue is not the intention, however, but rather the execution. EA Anticheat is a "kernel-mode anti-cheat and anti-tamper solution", as the explanation post continues. Very simply put, this means that the software operates at a very deep level of a PC system to prevent cheat engines from doing the same. Players are not fond of this idea, as it could introduce safety and stability issues on their systems.
EA addresses these concerns in its explanations, stating that "player privacy is a top concern of our Game Security & Anti-Cheat team". The software is developed in-house, but also with input of "independent, 3rd party security and privacy assessors to validate EA anticheat does not degrade the security posture of your PC and to ensure strict data privacy boundaries."
Of course, this will not erase doubts in the minds of each and every player. And there is no way around EA Anticheat if they want to keep playing EA Sports WRC. It is possible to remove the software manually, but "if you uninstall EA anticheat, any games that require EA anticheat protection will not be playable until EA anticheat is installed."
EA Anticheat In EA Sports WRC: No Launch Date Yet
According to EA, Anticheat will only be active once EA Sports WRC is launched, and will close once the player quits the game. Coupled with the software only accessing "what it needs to for anti-cheat purposes" and the focus on privacy and security, according to EA, Anticheat should not be a problem for players on paper.Yet, the reaction in the EA Forums and on platforms like Reddit is not exactly favorable, as there is no option not to use Anticheat when playing WRC - even in offline modes. The system is already in EA Sports FC 24, and it has caused issues with the popular football/soccer game both in its 2023 and 2024 editions, according to Reddit users.
For rally fans running Linux, the implementation of Anticheat could also mean that they will not be able to play EA Sports WRC at all anymore - which has happened with the likes of Battlefield V or the aforementioned EA Sports FC 24. Additionally, the Steam Deck version will also be affected, as Valve's powerful handheld console runs a Linux-based OS.
However, it has to be said that EA Sports WRC is not officially supported for Linux.
Other parts of the v1.9 update have not been announced yet. A release date is not known either, but the update could land relatively soon, considering the month-and-a-half gap between versions 1.6 and 1.8, the latter being released in late April.
What do you make of the EA Anticheat plans for EA Sports WRC? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
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