EA Javelin, the newly revealed name for the kernel-level PC anticheat currently used in 14 EA games including Battlefield 2042 and Madden NFL 25, has prevented 33 million cheat attempts since its launch in 2022, with recent updates cutting the number of cheaters players encounter in Battlefield 2042 in half, according to EA.
While EA’s push into new anticheat software for its games began in 2022 with the launch of FIFA 23, there’s been little news about its impact since then. Now, EA is sharing more details on its efforts and has even given its software a new name: EA Javelin, one it said was chosen to communicate defense, strength, and agility in the face of cheaters.
In a newly published progress report, EA head of game security Elise Murphy said EA Javelin Anticheat has blocked 33 million cheating attempts across 2.2 billion PC gaming sessions since its 2022 launch. She said the software currently sports a 99% accuracy rate when it comes to identifying and banning cheaters, and that on the off chance it bans someone unjustly, EA has overturned those bans.
“We take player disputes very seriously as we never want to impact a legitimate player’s ability to play one of our games,” Murphy said.
New features introduced to EA Javelin last fall in Battlefield 2042 look to have had a big impact as well. Murphy said the game’s “match infection rate”–how often a regular player would encounter a cheater–was cut in half following the new updates to EA Javelin.
Murphy used the report to try and ease some concerns players may have over EA Javelin’s kernel-level approach, one that is also used by Riot Games’ Vanguard and Activision’s Ricochet anticheat systems.
“While having a kernel driver is essential to protecting fair play in our games, we also understand the concerns that a kernel driver can raise,” Murphy said. “EA Javelin Anticheat only runs when one of our protected games is running, and it will uninstall itself if you have uninstalled all of your EA games that have EA Javelin Anticheat protection. We have partnered closely with internal teams and 3rd party assessors to validate that EA Javelin Anticheat will only inspect what it needs to for anti-cheat purposes…everything else is off-limits.”
Though EA has been relatively quiet on its anticheat efforts since 2022, Murphy said it will be sharing updates and deep-dives on the subject more often going forward in the name of transparency.
