Valve announced a significant change for Steam: Developers will now need to clearly list on a game’s product page whether kernel-level anti-cheat is used in the game.
This decision aims to provide greater transparency to players regarding the protection systems implemented in gameswhile at the same time allowing developers to clearly and effectively communicate all information regarding the anti-cheats used.
This change applies to both games that will be released on Steam and those already present.
The new policy focuses mainly on Kernel-level anti-cheatmaking their reporting mandatory. For client- or server-side anti-cheat systems, communication remains optional, although Valve encourages transparency for all types of anti-cheat technologies.
This change will have a significant impact on Steam Deck users (which you can also find on Amazon, albeit at a higher price) e Linux Desktop. Both, in fact, have been clamoring in recent months for a precise indicator to indicate the presence and type of these systems.
The Kernel-level anti-cheats are often incompatible with ProtonValve’s compatibility layer for running Windows games on Linux. The clear indication of these systems will allow users to more easily identify potentially problematic games on these platforms.
Valve also pointed out that some games, especially older ones, they do not completely remove all components of an anti-cheat during uninstallation. This information will also now be clearly indicated on the shop pages, ensuring greater clarity for users.
This initiative adds to a series of updates that Steam has been implementing for a few months to improve the user experience, including the management of publisher banners, a series of improvements for native Linux games and the information that when you purchase a game, in reality you are just buying a “use license”.
Source: www.tomshw.it
