After months of confidence from the Battlefield development team on Easy Anti-Cheat, images and videos have already started to circulate online of hacking during the Battlefield 2042 Beta.
Cheater 😏 pic.twitter.com/ydwb4QaPK8
— conne0312 (@coone90) October 7, 2021
Although the hacks are not as sophisticated as those that struck the Call of Duty: Vanguard Beta a couple of weeks ago, footage online shows wallhacks, aimbot, and several other cheats.
So far, we’ve identified three individual cheat providers providing cheats for Battlefield 2042. One cheat provider from China offers their cheats for just $2 per day, giving cheaters the opportunity to cheat during the whole Battlefield 2042 Beta for just $8. There are a few silver linings in the hacker problem though.
I spoke with content creator MavriqGG, who is knowledgeable about the cheating scene, including its providers, developers, and more.
“The reality is there’s no anti-cheat that is unbreakable,” Mavriq says. “What’s good for Battlefield is that no cheats that I’ve seen are open and easily accessible for free, unlike during the Vanguard Beta, so all of the cheats currently require some form of paid subscription”.
Mavriq added that "the paid subscription is both good and bad, as cheater developers provide an application to keep the number of users low, but it's also to avoid detection." This means that yes, although there are relatively low cheaters in the game, their numbers will be significantly lower than in games such as Call of Duty.
When asked whether the massive EA source code hack earlier this year contributed to hackers getting into the game as soon as they have, Mavriq says the leak possibly gave cheat developers a head start, saying, “Frostbite's source being out there essentially is like being given the notes when taking an exam."
One major weapon in DICE’s fight against cheaters is their new “Fair Play” commitment. The fair play commitment includes giving the ability to players to report cheaters in-game, a feature that is not yet been implemented during the Beta. Manual reports from players allow DICE to review each potential cheater's case individually and allow them to take the necessary action.
One caveat to this though, is that Battlefield 2042 does not have killcams like Call of Duty, so hackers may be able to hide their cheats more easily.
During a developer Q&A session behind closed doors several days ago, EA’s Lead Community Manager Adam Freeman explained, “We do have a team that has always worked for us on our anti-cheat, and actually, we do have new partners with us on Battlefield now with Easy Anti-Cheat.” Freeman emphasized that DICE and EA are committed to stopping cheaters and bringing new partners on board is a way for them to do that, compared to past Battlefield titles.
It’s currently unclear how much of an issue the Battlefield 2042 hacking problem will be, but with cheaters already in the Beta, it is concerning. Here's to hoping that EA can keep to their promise and commitment to fair play.
Check out IGN's Battlefield 2042 open beta preview for our impressions so far on DICE's upcoming shooter.