Roblox abandons Linux users

Linux

Roblox reportedly abandoned Linux users, as the modern version prevents the gaming platform from working with Wine, the compatibility layer that allows many Windows games to run via the operating systems.

This prevention leads to an error message that Wine’s compatibility layer is not supported even when adding gaming platform tools, such as Vinegar and Grapejuice.

The gaming platform’s spokeswoman, Samantha Spielman, said: “We confirm that there has been no change on our part regarding blocking Linux or Steam Deck specifically since Roblox has never officially supported Linux or Steam Deck.”

“We are constantly improving Hyperion’s anti-fraud function, so it is possible that everything the app developer was doing is no longer compatible with our anti-fraud systems.”

The gaming platform appears to have stopped informal support for the Wine compatibility layer because it felt it had been misused.

One staff member explained at the Game Developers’ Forum that the platform had supported the Wine compatibility layer informally for some time, and informal support would not continue because some people were using the compatibility layer to reverse-engineer the Hyperion anti-fraud program and develop intrusions for the game platform.

When a user asked if Linu operating system support was likely to last longer, the employee replied: “We found that casual support for the Wine compatibility layer was used for cheating, and this support was a personal effort for developers assuming that users appreciated it and would not misuse it, and we exhausted our options.”

Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, once said Fortnight would not happen to work via Steam Deck for the same reason.

According to Sweeney, Epic Games does not feel confident about its ability to combat Fortnight cheating when played via the dedicated Linux kernel, and Steam Deck needs tens of millions of users to justify providing support.

Existing anti-fraud programs, such as Easy Anti-Cheat and BattlEye, are not enough, leading many major games to adopt dedicated anti-fraud systems.