According to Engadget, tournament finals Apex Legends in North America has been postponed indefinitely after hackers infiltrated matches and provided cheating tools to professional gamers. Developer Respawn shared on X that the postponement of the tournament was due to the 'competitive integrity of the tournament being compromised'.
Videos of the cheating went viral on Twitch, showing players being able to see their opponents' locations (known as wall hacking). Even the famous player ImperialHal was interfered with by 'aimbots' - software that automatically aims and shoots accurately.
Image of a hacker infiltrating the middle of an Apex Legends match and 'turning on' hacking for gamers
The problem of cheating in games is a persistent problem for EA, and many gamers believe the company is not doing enough to prevent it. On EA's main discussion page, many people expressed frustration with comments such as “If EA bans all cheaters, there won't be enough players left to participate in the game” and “The real problem is player ban/suspension process.” In addition, gamers also complain about EA focusing on profits over player experience, such as increasing the price of decorative items.
Notably, at the end of February, EA laid off 2% of its workforce – equivalent to about 5 people. First person shooting game Star Wars being developed by Respawn was also canceled along with staff cuts. CEO Andrew Wilson told employees at the time that EA was "simplifying the company's operations to deliver deeper, more connected experiences for fans around the world."
Now, new dates for the North American Finals of Apex Legends It hasn't been announced yet, but the X post says they will "share more information soon." In the meantime, EA and Respawn need to find a way to block hackers' access and reorganize the qualifiers to ensure fairness for the tournament.
