With the Steam Deck launching later this month, Epic Games’ CEO Tim Sweeney has said that there are currently no plans to make Fortnite compatible with the handheld PC.
At present, Fortnite doesn’t officially support Linux, the operating system that the Steam Deck runs on, but the handheld’s implementation of compatibility layer Proton means Windows-based games can be used on the Linux device.
Fortnite also uses Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) and BattlEye, software that aims to prevent cheating and malicious activity in the game. Proton does support both of these, as outlined in this Steamworks post, but Sweeney has still said Fortnite won’t work with it.
In response to being asked if Fortnite will be updated to make Proton compatible with anti-cheat software on Linux, Sweeney said (via PC Gamer): “Fortnite no, but there’s a big effort underway to maximise Easy Anti-Cheat compatibility with Steam Deck.
Sweeney added that Epic doesn’t “have confidence that we’d be able to combat cheating at scale under a wide array of kernel configurations including custom ones.
“With regard to anti-cheat on the Linux platform supporting custom kernels and the threat model to a game of Fortnite‘s size, yes that’s exactly right!”
Last year Sweeney hailed Valve’s Steam Deck as an “amazing move,” adding that the open platform nature of the handheld and ability for players to install software of their choosing were both good things.
The Steam Deck is set to start shipping on February 28, as three days earlier those who pre-ordered the handheld will be given 72-hours to confirm they want to finish their purchase and have it delivered to them.
In other news, it appears as though Horizon Forbidden West is cheaper when purchased through a browser.
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