Embark Studios says The Finals bug stopped it from 'banning cheaters efficiently'

The Finals artwork showing three players
(Image credit: Embark Studios)

Embark Studios is improving anti-cheat measures in The Finals following player feedback. 

Just a couple of weeks after the surprise launch of the first-person multiplayer shooter, players are reporting problems with cheaters plaguing their games, a significant problem that seems to be making ranked matches unplayable. 

As GamesRadar+ reports, a post shared to The Finals Discord server on December 18 explains that the developer has been unable to address the ongoing cheating issues in the game due to a bug.

"Over the past few days, we've had a technical issue that prevented us from banning cheaters efficiently," said community lead Dusty Gustafsson. "We're now nearing a solution to this bug, and we're already begun re-upping our anti-cheat measures again.

"Thanks for your patience as we continue to sort through issues. Keeping the game a smooth, safe, and fair space for players is our biggest priority. We're in this for the long haul." 

Embark didn't provide any details on the bug, but players will be glad to know that a fix is on its way. Additionally, the team will be adding further safeguards to the game to prevent more cheaters from interrupting matches, which includes changes to its EAC (Easy Anti-Cheat) system.

"EAC isn't our only anti-cheat measure. We have a lot of things going at once. But we have been dealing with an issue that's caused a ton of headaches," Gustafsson said in a separate response. "I hope your experience is about to get better. Please give us time to fix things. We're new and fine-tuning. I have faith in the team."

Gustafsson has also asked players to continue to report cheaters as the team is working "non-stop" to address the problem.

Embark recently released a hotfix for the game that aimed to improve the game's skill-based matchmaking, allowing players of similar skill levels more likely to be matched together. 

For more, be sure to check out our list of the best FPS games as well as the best co-op games available right now.

TOPICS
Read more
The main battle pass characters in Fortnite Lawless, including Midas, Sub Zero and a large wolf-man
You'll finally be able to play Fortnite on Windows 11 Arm-powered laptops as Epic Games partners with Qualcomm
A screenshot of a character in FragPunk on PC.
FragPunk drops tomorrow for PC, but its console launch has been delayed at the last minute
An Exoborne promotional screenshot showing players using the glider.
Exoborne is on track to be the most approachable extraction shooter on the market, but will that be enough for it to succeed?
EA Sports FC 25
EA Sports FC 25's latest refresh update is the "most significant mid-season gameplay update ever"
The player holding a Shard Card in Fragpunk.
Competitive shooter Fragpunk wowed me with its game-changing Shard Cards, but I can't stand the aggressive monetization
AMD RX 9070 GPU models
Modders do what AMD can't (or won't) by adding FSR 4 support to more games
Latest in Consoles & PC
Image of Naoe in AC Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows is hands-down one of the most beautiful PC ports I've ever seen
Image of AC Shadows cover art & Steam Deck
It's not perfect, but Assassin's Creed Shadows' performance is impressive - it runs smoothly on the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally
Steam Deck OLED in limited edition white color
With a single update SteamOS could turbocharge handheld PCs – here's how
Samus Aran leaping through space
Metroid Prime 4 tipped to be at the heart of April's Nintendo Switch 2 deep-dive
Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo Switch 2 expected to have AI upscaling and I can't wait to finally play Tears of the Kingdom with upgraded graphics
Asus ROG Ally using Steam
I think Asus could be the perfect partner for an Xbox handheld – but I have questions
Latest in News
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
Samsung's rumored smart specs may be launching before the end of 2025
Apple iPhone 16 Review
The latest iPhone 18 leak hints at a major chipset upgrade for all four models
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #1155)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #386)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #652)
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, March 23 (game #1154)