Battlestate Games has prepared some “tricks” for Escape from Tarkov cheaters, which it plans to deploy alongside the extraction shooter’s long-awaited 1.0 release. A senior company official confirmed as much in a recent interview, while also expressing frustration over how some Escape from Tarkov players perceive the developer’s anti-cheat efforts.
August 4 marked the ninth anniversary of Battlestate’s hit extraction shooter launching in alpha. Ever since then, Escape from Tarkov has been troubled by cheaters, with Battlestate essentially playing a game of whack-a-mole with them.
New Escape from Tarkov Anti-Cheat Measures Coming Soon
The developer’s never-ending quest to combat cheaters will get another episode in mid-November, when Escape from Tarkov receives its long-awaited 1.0 release. That’s according to Battlestate CEO and lead designer Nikita Buyanov, who said as much in a recent interview with PCGamesN. Talking about the developer’s plans for the much-anticipated launch, the executive said the studio has “a few tricks up our sleeve” aimed at reducing the number of cheaters once the 1.0 version drops next Saturday, November 15.
Escape from Tarkov Boss Finds Fans’ Opinions on Battlestate’s Anti-Cheat Measures ‘Depressing’ and ‘Upsetting’
In the same interview, Buyanov offered a broader look at cheating in Escape from Tarkov and said he does not expect fans to be fully satisfied with the upcoming changes—not because they won’t work to curtail cheaters, but because they will not provide a permanent fix. “It is truly unfortunate and somewhat upsetting to read all kinds of comments over the years and navigate through waves of hatred, as if we are not doing anything,” he said. Buyanov explained that Battlestate and cheat developers continually outmaneuver each other, with no hope of breaking that cycle due to the nature of cheats. As a result, even effective anti-cheat measures are eventually bypassed and require further updates. Despite all that, “it’s impossible to change the players’ opinions” on how hard Battlestate is trying to combat cheaters, Buyanov said. Still, he emphasized that the studio remains committed to its fight against cheating.
Buyanov’s latest remarks echo the comments he has made many times over the years, when he argued that Battlestate is in a never-ending fight against cheaters. Apart from updating detection methods, the studio has recently also gotten creative by incentivizing players to report suspected Escape from Tarkov cheaters.
“It is truly unfortunate and somewhat upsetting to read all kinds of comments over the years and navigate through waves of hatred, as if we are not doing anything [about cheating].”
In October, Buyanov confirmed that a console version of Escape from Tarkov is in development. Should it feature dedicated servers and no cross-platform multiplayer with PC, it could be less vulnerable to cheating, at least through conventional means. However, not even consoles are immune to external devices such as the Cronus Zen, which spoof controller inputs and provide features like recoil reduction and rapid fire that are difficult for games to detect.
