"We are up against an $8 billion market": Embark on its fight against cheaters in ARC Raiders and The Finals

Common programs, including OBS, Steam, and Overwolf, can create additional difficulties in identifying real cheaters.

At Gamescom Dev, Embark Studios engineer Tom van Dijk, who develops the company's anti-cheat systems, elaborated on the challenges of combating cheaters. According to him, the cheat development industry has evolved into a full-fledged commercial market worth approximately $8 billion.

We are just a small team, and even if we weren't, we are up against an $8 billion industry. It operates like a commercial business. How do you fight an industry that functions as a full-fledged business?
Tom van Dijk, Embark Studios.

The situation becomes even more complex as anti-cheat technologies evolve. Cheat developers use hardware solutions, AI-based technologies, and other methods to bypass protection. Van Dijk compared the situation to a multi-headed hydra: block one method, and a new one appears almost immediately.

According to the engineer, Embark simply cannot sustain an endless game of "cat and mouse" with its current resources. To effectively counter all existing threats, the company would need thousands of developers.

Public reaction remains a separate problem. On social media, particularly Reddit, there are almost daily reports that ARC Raiders is allegedly "full of cheaters." However, Embark's attempts to explain the situation often lead to even greater criticism. Large streamers, who go live and encounter stream snipers and cheaters directly during broadcasts, create additional pressure.

Van Dijk also noted the technical limitations of modern operating systems, including Windows and Linux. According to him, they provide cheaters with ample opportunities, and developing kernel-level anti-cheat remains a controversial decision due to potential risks to computer stability and security.

Nevertheless, Embark considers kernel-level anti-cheat a necessary evil in modern conditions. To develop its own system, the studio partnered with Vaiiya. Previously, developers relied on third-party solutions like Easy Anti-Cheat from Epic Games, but, as van Dijk stated, this approach proved insufficiently effective.