The North American esports final of online shooter Apex Legends has been postponed due to hacking allegations. Clips shared by players show cheat modes being activated mid-match, causing panic among opponents. The official regional contest organizers stated that the “competitive integrity” of the event was compromised, but further details have not been disclosed. BBC Newsbeat has reached out to publisher Electronic Arts (EA) for comment.
Two prominent Apex Legends players, Genburten and ImperialHal, posted clips showing cheats being used in their games. Genburten experienced a “wallhack” revealing other players’ locations, while Hal had an aimbot that automatically targeted opponents. These cheats are prohibited in major esports competitions and can lead to bans.
The Anti-Cheat Police Department, a volunteer group combating cheating in online games, mentioned that hackers may have exploited a flaw to access players’ machines. They advised against playing games protected by EAC or any EA titles until the issue is resolved. Concerns have been raised about the security of players’ machines, but no official confirmation has been provided.
Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC), the suspected compromised software, stated that there is no RCE vulnerability being exploited. They are working closely with partners to address any potential issues.
Apex Legends is a free-to-play battle royale shooter developed by Respawn Entertainment. Recently celebrating its fifth anniversary, the game was launched as a competitor to Fortnite. EA, the owner of Respawn, announced the cancellation of a Star Wars-themed first-person shooter from the studio alongside layoffs of 670 workers across the company.
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