Genshin Impact anti-cheat is changing after players had discovered that it continued to run after the game had been closed. The player privacy concerns about a new program running in the background were addressed by the developer Mihoyo along with a promise to change the anti-cheat system.
Today marks the debut of Genshin Impact on PC and PS4, more than a year after it was first accused of ripping off The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. A handful of PC players already had access to the game in its closed beta, and some players noticed that the Genshin Impact anti-cheat system continued to run in the background after the game was shut down. This raised concerns about potential data mining or security vulnerabilities.
Genshin Impact anti-cheat “only reads system information”
Why is Genshin Impact anti-cheat running in the background a problem? PC players have faced performance issues due to the inclusion of anti-cheat systems in games. Notably, Doom Eternal removed Denuvo anti-cheat following player complaints of severe drops in performance. One week later, Metro Exodus also removed its anti-cheat system. Now, Genshin Impact’s developer has provided more details about how the game’s anti-cheat works and the changes it is making over the next few days.
“We have received feedback from some players that when opening Genshin Impact on PC, the game’s anti-cheat program will automatically run in the background, and that the anti-cheat program will continue to run after exiting or uninstalling the game,” reads a news post on the game’s website.
“After closing the game, the anti-cheat program only reads system information; it does not process, save, or upload information in any way whatsover,” it continued.
The statement from Mihoyo should ease any privacy concerns, but the game’s developer is taking things a step further: Genshin Impact anti-cheat will no longer run while the game is closed on PC “within the next 30 hours,” nor will it continue to run after the game has been uninstalled. Mihoyo has further promised that it would never “wrongfully access” or otherwise use the private information of players; its only concern is protecting the integrity of the game.
Of course, Genshin Impact anti-cheat will still run while the game is active. Mihoyo states that it will continue to make it more robust to ensure a fair experience for all players. Genshin Impact can be played for free right now on the PS4 and on PC via the game’s official website.
