It Seems Rockstar Has No Intention of Fixing GTA Online on Steam Deck

Earlier this week, Rockstar Games celebrated Grand Theft Auto V's 11th anniversary by introducing the BattlEye Anti-Cheat software to GTA Online, driven by an arguably noble goal of reducing the number of cheaters plaguing the game. Unfortunately, this well-intentioned update backfired for Linux users, making GTA Online inaccessible on the Steam Deck and Linux-powered PCs and leaving them with only the single-player Story Mode, which, let's be honest, most of them have already finished given GTA V's age.

The story, however, didn't end there, with new evidence suggesting that Rockstar seemingly has no intention of fixing GTA Online on Steam Deck, according to the new "Unsupported" mark the game got on the handheld and a screenshot shared by YouTuber Bob Wulff, also known as WULFF DEN.

Triggering flashbacks of Bethesda's legendary "we aren't planning on doing anything about it," the screenshot in question allegedly depicts a reply provided by Rockstar's customer support service regarding the issue, with one Leandra R. saying that the company is "unable to change this" and that GTA V [sic] is no longer available on Linux.

The obvious mix-up of GTA V, which is still playable on Steam Deck, with GTA Online notwithstanding, the message caught the attention of hundreds of people, some of whom saw the wording of the reply as an admission that nothing would be done about the issue. To add insult to injury, others pointed out that BattlEye itself is compatible with Linux, but only if the developer allows it, making it seem like Rockstar is not "unable," but rather unwilling to fix the problem.

Besides the dubious reply, some users reported difficulties contacting either Rockstar or Steam for information about the situation or to inquire about a refund, with both customer support services redirecting them to one another, creating a neverending loop.

Unfortunately, it seems that we've got another David and Goliath situation on our hands, with the community of GTA V fans playing on Linux not being powerful or large enough to influence Rockstar's decisions. A SteamDB screenshot has been circulating online, suggesting that GTA V's CCU numbers dropped significantly following the implementation of the new anti-cheat...:

...however, examining the numbers for the past week instead of the past month reveals that while there was a slight decline, it's not as dramatic as it might initially appear:

The game's reviews on Metacritic and Steam also remained unchanged following the update, indicating that while Steam Deck owners are justifiably upset with Rockstar, the broader community may not be as concerned:

With Rockstar's apparent unwillingness to fix the compatibility issues, it seems that the only course of action for the affected gamers is to follow the advice of Take-Two, coincidentally Grand Theft Auto's publisher, who recently confirmed review bombing to be an effective strategy as it can "lead to additional advertising and marketing costs and reputation harm".

What do you think about the situation? Will the problem ever get fixed? Share your thoughts in the comments and don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Reddit, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.