What's this about?
Ubisoft's For Honor will block SteamOS and Linux players from September 10.
Why does anti-cheat drive these decisions?
Because kernel-level anti-cheat needs to control the environment it runs in, and on Linux the user controls the kernel. The vendor's argument is that they cannot verify the integrity of a system the player can modify. The counter-argument is that Steam Deck is a large and growing installed base running exactly this configuration, and that kernel anti-cheat has a poor record of stopping determined cheating anyway while imposing real costs on everyone else.
Why is it worth noticing?
HN 97 points, 139 comments
- Steam Deck made Linux gaming mainstream enough that these decisions now have visible costs.
- It is the same shape as the Play Store and MV2 stories today: a platform decision that removes an option from users who chose deliberately.
- High comment-to-point ratio, meaning disagreement rather than consensus.