It seems that cheating will always exist, no matter who the developer is or what kind of online game it is. Regarding Valve’s newest upcoming shooter, Deadlock, players have been waiting for an anti-cheat feature to be added since 2023. Now, it seems that one of the developers on the project has announced that they are working on the feature.
Yoshi, a well-known Valve developer, responded to someone in Deadlock’s official Discord server, stating that anti-cheat is in the works. The post was then shared to Reddit. This is not the first time the addition has been mentioned on the server. In August alone, the team updated players three times about the feature being actively being developed. One update read:
The only question now, besides when the feature is planned to be released, is exactly how it will work. Many players have reported anti-cheat software as invasive and a potential security risk. This has been the case with kernel-level anti-cheat software. However, it’s also been proven that the software combats hackers and others who intend to do the same maliciously. Unfortunately, it seems there really is no way to come out on top if you want to have fair Deadlock games more often than not.
For now, Valve is relying on player reports to go after those accused of cheating. It’s a less progressive process but one that helps get the job done in a small way, especially considering Valve’s track record.
In my personal opinion, anti-cheat software is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, I don’t want to encounter cheaters whenever I want to boot up a relaxing game. On the other hand, I also don’t like the idea of a piece of software having complete access to my computer, leaving it vulnerable to those developing the game and software. Ultimately, the intention is to placate complaints from fans, and that’s surely a positive step in the right direction, right?
Deadlock will be available for PC.