Apex Legends developer Respawn has finally spoken out about last weekend’s unprecedented hacking attack that left the Apex Legends community—and the wider gaming sphere—in disbelief, reassuring the game’s player base and reaffirming security measures are in place.
The now infamous “Destroyer2009” hack, which saw cheating software planted on DarkZero’s Genburten and TSM’s ImperialHal midway through the NA ALGS regional finals, has been shrouded in mystery. Both EA and Respawn withheld any statement until 48 hours after the incident occurred, likely to ensure they were able to investigate the cause without further disruption from the culprit. Although Respawn’s statement has provided some clarification, several questions remain about the incident.
Their statement does reassure the Apex player base that immediate action has been taken to offer additional security, with “the first of a layered series of updates” deployed to provide protection and “create a secure experience.” Echoing this was Respawn senior design director Evan Nikolich, who said publicly that security was one of Respawn’s top priorities.
This news will be particularly important for those who resorted to uninstalling the game to feel safe from further security breaches. Concerns were widespread enough to trigger a drop in the game’s active player base for a day as many awaited official word on the situation. Clearly, this is an ongoing project with several more stages to follow.
Also clarified was whether the ALGS Split One Playoffs—2024’s first Apex LAN—will be impacted. Immediately following Respawn’s post, the ALGS team stated that no changes to the event were anticipated. Information on when the NA Regional Finals and Challenger Circuit will resume is expected to follow soon, although when this will be is currently unknown.
Despite these vital clarifications, there are still questions remaining. Firstly, the phrasing of Respawn’s statement raises questions about whether the hack impacted more professional players. Instead of referring to the situation as one that impacted ImperialHal and Genburten, the company wrote that “a few” professional player accounts were hacked. This could mean that others were not activated during the tournament, but the hacker did gain access to their accounts through some means.
Likely not wanting to reveal how advanced Respawn and EA are in uncovering the source of Destroyer2009’s hacks, the statement also does not address any concerns regarding how much access was gained to the game itself. The wider player base would not need to be worried if this breach came via the pro’s PCs, as it would mean just those players’ devices would be affected. However, if the means of access lies within the game rather than through targeted action, it would mean a more widespread attack is possible.
Regardless of whether Apex players want more information, Respawn has provided all the reassurance they can without further compromising the game. Until further progress is made to ensure any security issues are identified and rectified, the developers must prioritize preventing further attacks, even if this means greater secrecy over the hack’s source.
