Summary
- Ubisoft added competitive modes but banned Linux/SteamOS players over open-source kernel anti-cheat issues.
- Free to keep on the Ubisoft Store until September 28; Steam and Epic list the Standard edition at ~90% off.
- Linux/SteamOS users can’t play online; kernel-level anti-cheat blocks access even if you bought it.
A little while ago, Ubisoft announced that it was introducing new competitive modes to its online multiplayer game, For Honor. In the same breath, it then announced that it was flat-out banning everyone playing on a Linux OS from playing, because it couldn’t properly code a kernel-level anti-cheat when the kernel is open-source.
The Linux gaming community was pretty upset, especially those who had paid for the game, played past Steam’s refund window, then got locked out of it (although one person got a refund after four tries). Now, to make matters worse, Ubisoft has made For Honor free to keep forever if you grab it before September 28th.
For Honor is free to keep on the Ubisoft Store
It’s also at an extreme discount on other stores
Credit: Ubisoft
As spotted by Notebook Check, Ubisoft is currently holding a big sale on For Honor. You can grab it for free between now and September 28th if you pop over to the Ubisoft Store and grab it from there. If you’d rather purchase it from a different storefront, you can also grab it from Steam and the Epic Games Store. It’s not free on either of those platforms, but they are both at a 90% discount, which does cut the cost down considerably.
It’s worth noting that the free/90% off version doesn’t give you all the bells and whistles; it is just the Standard version, after all. However, at least on Steam, the Gold and Ultimate editions are 85% off, so if you’ve had your eyes on either of those, now’s a good time.
Just remember: if you use a Linux OS (and that includes SteamOS, which is based on a Linux distro called Arch), the anti-cheat won’t let you play online, so don’t get your hopes up for that.
Related
Ubisoft bans Linux and Steam Deck users from For Honor because it “cannot meaningfully deploy protection”
There’s not much you can do if you’re affected.