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EA Javelin Anticheat — (Image credit: EA)

EA released its 'Javelin' anti-cheat last year to power the multiplayer gameplay in Battlefield 6. Like every other anti-cheat software out there, it runs at the kernel level to spoof out any bad actors or code, and EA has said it's been very successful thus far. So much so that the company is now seemingly looking to port it over to Arm and eventually Linux, according to a new job listing.

Job listing for a 'Senior Anti-Cheat Engineer, ARM64' by EA — (Image credit: Future)

Titled "Senior Anti-Cheat Engineer, ARM64," the listing is pretty self-explanatory. The main responsibility endowed upon this engineer would be to "develop a native ARM driver" for the Javelin anti-cheat. Save an official announcement, this confirms that EA wants games like Battlefield to run Arm-based devices soon. Apple Silicon is not EA's interest, and Qualcomm's X-series hasn't been enough of a hit to justify this either.

That leaves us with Nvidia's upcoming N1/N1X chips that are highly rumored to launch this year. The timing for this role aligns with the chips' reported debut. The N1 silicon is said to finally bring Windows-on-Arm to the mainstream, with a focus on gaming that Arm has generally never been known for. After all, there's a 20-core Arm CPU and an RTX 5070-level GPU in there, according to the rumor mill, so it's plenty powerful.

The job description specifically mentions, "development of [our] Windows on ARM support," so there's no ambiguity over what platform we're talking about. Previously, Epic added support for Easy Anti-Cheat on Arm and Linux devices, but its flagship title, Fortnite, still doesn't run on those machines. Microsoft also released the Xbox app on Arm-based Windows 11 devices just a month ago.

Most anti-cheat software is only designed to run on x86-based Windows machines — part of Valve's push for Linux gaming has been held back by this. Similarly, Arm-based devices can't run anti-cheat either, which shuts out a large chunk of the most popular games from the platform. Therefore, getting a native Arm version of Javelin to work on N1-powered machines would be a huge step forward for non-x86 PC gaming.

In fact, the job listing also includes a point that reads: "Chart a path for EA Javelin Anticheat to support additional OS and hardware in the future, such as Linux and Proton." Namedropping Proton is a big deal; it shows clear intent to eventually have support for Javelin on things like the Steam Deck and Steam Machine — another audience EA doesn't want to miss out on, which can influence others like Riot and Epic to follow suit.

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Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he’s not working, you’ll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun.

7 Comments Comment from the forums

hotaru251

Like every other anti-cheat software out there, it runs at the kernel level to spoof out any bad actors or code,

and like every other out there is easy enoguh to get aroudn by running the cheats on a different device.

example:
you can have an aim assist you by having another machine while game runs on another and as its not directly messing w/ the game files no anti cheat can ever combat this type of cheating (and this isnt even as crazy as you think and is done by many already)
Reply
S58_is_the_goat

hotaru251 said:
and like every other out there is easy enoguh to get aroudn by running the cheats on a different device.

example:
you can have an aim assist you by having another machine while game runs on another and as its not directly messing w/ the game files no anti cheat can ever combat this type of cheating (and this isnt even as crazy as you think and is done by many already)
How exactly does the second machine knows/sees what's going on in the game?
Reply
hotaru251

S58_is_the_goat said:
How exactly does the second machine knows/sees what's going on in the game?
capture card.
can read a bit about a method used here if more interested (i quit playing competitive games due to cheaters but i do still find it interesting) https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/07/cheat-maker-brags-of-computer-vision-auto-aim-that-works-on-any-game/
Reply
ezst036

Admin said:
So much so that the company is now seemingly looking to port it over to Arm and eventually Linux, according to a new job listing.
Linux as a gaming platform is overall growing at the same time discontent with Windows 11 still continues growing.

Why wouldn't they at least put some work into it on Linux, even if its not released for general use.

EA needs to be ready for continued Linux gaming growth. I don't expect a Javelin Linux release any time soon so it is said.

I bet that behind the scenes Valve is behind this or involved with this in some way. We probably will not ever know though.
Reply
bit_user

Looks like the Nvidia/MediaTek chip is finally getting the industry to take Windows/ARM gaming seriously.

TBH, I had a > 50% expectation that XBox-Next would be ARM-based. But, if MS had any such notions, it appears they had to walk them back due to the relative immaturity of the market/platform. It would be somewhat ironic if gaming on Windows/ARM has really started to take off, by the time XBox-Next launches.
Reply
SkyBill40

S58_is_the_goat said:
How exactly does the second machine knows/sees what's going on in the game?
Look up DMA modules for gaming. There's LOADS of sites out there for that crap. So while it's fun to imagine that Javelin is going to get the job done, the reality of it is an entirely different story. It's why I don't buy into any of the numbers that EA/DICE puts out about blocking or banning cheaters.
Reply
usertests

Malware being ported to new devices /soyface
Reply

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EA's Javelin anti-cheat is coming to Arm-based systems soon — new job listing for Windows-on-ARM driver anticipates Nvidia N1/N1X debut and pivotal shift in PC gaming

EA's Javelin anti-cheat is coming to Arm-based systems soon — new job listing for Windows-on-ARM driver anticipates Nvidia N1/N1X debut and pivotal shift in PC gaming

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