Epic Games, the developer of the popular game Fortnite, announced a major update that will change the game for Windows PC users. Starting with the February update, the game imposed a set of mandatory hardware-level security requirements aimed at strengthening anti-cheat systems and creating a fairer and more equitable playing environment for all. This move, while important, has sparked controversy and confusion among players, especially those with older hardware.
Background to the ongoing conflict: Fortnite vs. Cheaters
Since its launch in 2017, Fortnite has transformed from a simple game into a global cultural phenomenon, attracting millions of players daily. This immense success has made it a prime target for cheat software developers, who are constantly seeking loopholes to give their users an unfair advantage, such as aimbots or wallhacks. Over the years, cheat tools have evolved from simple software to sophisticated devices operating at the kernel level or even through external hardware, making them extremely difficult to detect and counter using traditional anti-cheat programs like Easy Anti-Cheat. These new requirements are a direct response to this evolution, taking the battle to a deeper and more secure level within the hardware itself.
What are the new requirements and how do they affect the players?
The new update requires players to activate three key security technologies built into most modern devices:
- Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0): This is a physical chip mounted on the motherboard that provides hardware-based security functions and is used to verify the integrity of the system during boot.
- Secure Boot: A feature that ensures the device runs only trusted programs at startup, preventing malware and cheating tools from loading before the operating system.
- Input/Output Memory Management Unit (IOMMU): A technology that protects system memory from unauthorized access by peripheral devices, thus blocking advanced types of cheating that use external cards for direct memory access (DMA).
Significance and Expected Impact: A Step Towards a New Industry Standard
Locally, some players, especially those with devices manufactured before 2016 or those lacking these features, may encounter difficulties running the game, potentially forcing them to upgrade their hardware or abandon the game altogether. While Epic Games claims that approximately 95% of players have compatible devices, the remaining percentage represents a significant number of users. Regionally and internationally, this move by a game the size of Fortnite sets a new benchmark in the gaming industry. It joins other games like Valorant that have implemented similar requirements, prompting other game developers to adopt stricter security policies. This trend promotes the integrity of esports and makes competition fairer, but it also raises the minimum requirements for competitive games, potentially impacting their accessibility in some global markets.
