Epic Games and Qualcomm are teaming up to bring Fortnite to Windows on Arm devices through an update to Easy Anti-Cheat. Players can expect the new support before 2025 wraps up. Currently, EAC blocks Windows on Arm players because these devices use Prism emulation to run x86 apps on Arm hardware. The compatibility landscape shows 675 apps working with Arm systems, including 121 games.
Compared to Valve's Proton translation layer, supporting nearly 18,000 Steam Deck games, Windows on Arm's game compatibility looks pretty slim. The development could open doors for other popular titles like Apex Legends and Fall Guys to run on Arm devices. Epic's move comes with a dash of irony, given CEO Tim Sweeney's previous hesitation about supporting platforms with smaller user bases.
Sweeney had previously cited limited programmer resources as a barrier to supporting platforms like Steam Deck and Linux. He expressed admiration for Valve's hardware but wanted to see tens of millions of users before considering support. Interestingly, Windows on Arm's market share remains even smaller than Linux's presence in the desktop operating system market.
The collaboration signals a potential shift in how game developers approach emerging computing platforms. By working with Qualcomm to expand Easy Anti-Cheat's compatibility, Epic Games is helping bridge the gap for gamers using Arm-based Windows devices. This move could gradually improve the ecosystem for alternative computing architectures and provide more flexibility for players.
Compared to Valve's Proton translation layer, supporting nearly 18,000 Steam Deck games, Windows on Arm's game compatibility looks pretty slim. The development could open doors for other popular titles like Apex Legends and Fall Guys to run on Arm devices. Epic's move comes with a dash of irony, given CEO Tim Sweeney's previous hesitation about supporting platforms with smaller user bases.
Sweeney had previously cited limited programmer resources as a barrier to supporting platforms like Steam Deck and Linux. He expressed admiration for Valve's hardware but wanted to see tens of millions of users before considering support. Interestingly, Windows on Arm's market share remains even smaller than Linux's presence in the desktop operating system market.
The collaboration signals a potential shift in how game developers approach emerging computing platforms. By working with Qualcomm to expand Easy Anti-Cheat's compatibility, Epic Games is helping bridge the gap for gamers using Arm-based Windows devices. This move could gradually improve the ecosystem for alternative computing architectures and provide more flexibility for players.
