- Respawn introduces a new machine-learning model to detect cheaters
- Report Feedback tool ensures transparency in anti-cheat actions
- Matchmaking updates aim for fairer skill-based competition
Respawn Entertainment has shared the Anti-cheat update for the Apex Legends, preparing for Season 24: Takeover, launching on February 11, 2025.
Fighting Cheaters with Smarter Tech
The developers are focusing on making the game better and fairer and have introduced updates to get rid of cheaters. RE mentioned in the detailed blog:
“Anti-cheat and game integrity will always be a top priority for us, and the fight continues as we work to put in safeguards and evolve our systems to stop cheaters and get ahead. “
Let’s dive into what’s new and how Respawn is taking major steps to combat cheaters while improving the overall player experience. Despite the new content and updates, the game has faced challenges, resulting in losing amassive number of players.
One of the biggest complaints from Apex Legends players has been the rise in hackers and cheaters, which spoils the gaming fun and makes the game totally unfair. The team is considering this a serious problem and has now introduced the advanced tools and techto deal with this frustrating issue.
Respawn Entertainment has brought a new machine learning model that is going to detect the bot accounts and remove them and is capable of identifying advanced cheating methods.
This aims to create a balanced and fair playground for players who condemn cheating and want to play and enjoy the game without any hacking or cheating. The team stated:
“There has been a recent increase in bots that’ve been circumventing our existing security measures, and we’re actively working on addressing this. We’ve also created a brand-new machine learning model that not only detects this new generation of bots but was also built to be more future-proof to combat future variants and evolutions.”
The new Report Feedback tool has also been introduced to inform players about the action taken against the cheaters they reported. This approach makes players feel that their voices are being heard, and that action is taken on the elements they find as ruining elements in the game. Here are the Anti-cheat updates shared in the blog:
- Recent efforts against teaming, including recent action being taken on ~1,200 accounts across all platforms, including the removal of ~17.4 million ranked points
- An update on our progress against botting, including a brand-new machine-learning model
- Report Feedback: a new feature that we’re investigating to provide additional insight into the report you sent in-game
- Brief touch base around a recently resolved incident that saw some high-profile accounts become compromised
Matchmaking Gets a Major Overhaul
Moreover, Respawn Entertainment is making changes in matchmaking; the goal is to ensure that new and experienced players are facing off against opponents of similar skill, making the game more fun and fairer for everyone.
One of the major updates is the unranked skill display. This feature will allow players to see the skill level of others, opponents, and teammates and will help them plan the match accordingly. However, in In Unranked matches, you won’t see exact skill numbers. Instead, it will offer the following:
- How “wide” the skill is for the entire lobby
- Where the bookends of the lobby skill sit in the overall skill distribution of all players in this match
- Your squad’s skill in the context of both the lobby and the overall player base
The developers are also adjusting the skill values to consider players’ performance across all modes so players aren’t mismatched based on old stats. There will be a change in the ranked reset values, and placement matches will return.
All these updates are done to ensure that players get to encounter opponents with similar skill levels. Respawn Entertainment hasn’t forgotten the low-ranked players; it is going to add Apex bots to make matches a bit easier for them.
These bots won’t team up with real players but will fill lobbies and speed up matchmaking. This also applies to new players; they will get to combat with bots, so they may not get disheartened or frustrated during the initial stages of the game.
The details regarding the matchmaking update have been shared officially:
- A sneak peek of in-progress features coming in the not-so-distant future: Unranked Skill Display, seeding skill values, and lessening Ranked resets
- Looking at some new and upcoming tests: NPC “Apex Bots,” preferential matchmaking (solos vs. premade), and queue time adjustments
- Sharing some ongoing conversations for added transparency: Ranked premade restrictions, Ranked placement matches, and skill difference and scoring
Respawn has emphasized having conversations with the community and seems serious about improving Apex Legends. Recently, EA also revealed its major update that will arrive after they are done with the next Battlefield game, which is in the crucial phase of development.
