Valve has just announced a major change in its transparency policy on Steam: developers will now have to explicitly indicate whether their games use anti-cheat systems operating at the kernel level of the operating system.
After much feedback, both from developers and players regarding the need for more clarity on anti-cheat software integrated into games, Valve has decided to require, on Steam, the mention of the type of anti-cheat used on games. “ We’ve found that a growing number of developers are looking for the best way to communicate this information to players », Explains Valve in its press release.
Kernel-mode anti-cheat systems, which integrate deep into the operating system to detect cheaters, have become increasingly common in online multiplayer games. They are found in particular in popular titles like Call of Duty, Fortnite or Apex Legends.
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Developers must be transparent about the anti-cheat system used
Concretely, a new “Anti-Cheat” section will appear on the Steam game pages. If a game uses an anti-cheat system in kernel mode, theDevelopers will be forced to mention this. This mention becomes optional for more traditional anti-cheat solutions, based solely on the server.
“ If your game installs a client-side anti-cheat in kernel mode, you will need to fill in this new field », Tells Valve to the developers. The platform also plans to review already published games and contact the relevant publishers to update their information.
This initiative will make it easier for players to identify games using solutions like Ricochet from Activision, Easy Anti-Cheat from Epic Games, Vanguard from Riot Games, Denuvo Anti-Cheat and BattlEye. These systems, while effective against cheating, sometimes raise questions about their level of access to users’ system.
For the uninitiated, a kernel mode driver is a software component that runs with the highest privileges of the operating systemallowing it to deeply scan the computer for cheating software. This level of access, although controversial since it acts in the same way as malware, has become almost essential in the fight against online cheating.
This new transparency policy should allow players to make more informed choices when purchasing on Steam, knowing exactly what type of anti-cheat software they are allowing on their system.
