GTA, goodbye to the mod for VR
Do you remember Luke Ross? Probably yes. The computer engineer has dedicated himself to making mods for virtual reality, including games like GTA and Red Dead Redemption. Unfortunately, over the past few days, Ross has received a copyright infringement notification for some Take-Two Interactive titles, including Rockstar Games' two open worlds and Mafia's Definitive Edition.As explained by Ross in a press release published on Patreon, Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive have requested (and obtained) the removal of the virtual reality mods of the three games mentioned above. "I have removed all the material that could even be remotely linked to the IPs of Take-Two, Rockstar Games and 2K," the release reads. In order to still be able to preserve his work, Ross has created a subscription tier for 1 Dollar, accessible only to him, which allows him to access previously published material, such as tutorials, player feedback and some guides. "Unless Patreon decides to take it all out, I'm not going to destroy something you paid for," Ross's words.| ); }
Take-Two Interactive is the first holding company and the first publisher to request a removal of the contents produced by Ross. This is nothing new: the US reality has always been very protective of its products, with many content creators who very often had to remove mods, videos or other content from the internet due to very similar complaints.
Take-Two has sent out DMCA takedown notices for GTA, Red Dead Redemption, and Mafia VR mods
Take-Two Interactive, the parent company for Rockstar, has sent a DMCA notice to mod creator Luke Ross, the creator of VR overhauls for GTA V, Red Dead Redemption 2, and the Mafia trilogy. This isn’t an unusual move from Take-Two, as the company has sent out other DMCA notices to mod creators in the past.
Ross made Take-Two Interactive’s DMCA takedown notice public via a post on his Patreon. Take-Two’s demands that he “remove all their copyrighted works” from his Patreon page. The legality of modding is contentious in some circles, but Ross believes that his work does not infringe on the company’s copyright. Since posting this announcement yesterday, Take-Two hasn’t clarified its demands. However, even if it doesn’t, Ross will be forced to remove the VR mods from his Patreon page.
As long as gaming’s been around, modding has been an equally large part of it. Some of the most popular games of the last few years began life as mods. Counter-Strike, Dota 2, PUBG, and The Forgotten City are just a few of these sorts of titles. It’s undeniable that modding is an important part of the industry, but that hasn’t prevented some companies from stopping them in their tracks.
In contrast, some developers are more than supportive of their modding community. Bethesda is the perfect example of this, with modding being a core reason for the popularity of some of its titles. Most recently, Fallout 4 got the ambitious Fallout: London mod. This then led to Bethesda offering that same creator a job at its company.
Some developers simply aren’t a fan of mods, though. It’s especially disappointing to see Take-Two Interactive issue a DMCA claim to such an ambitious series of mods. For now, Ross is uncertain about whether the mods can remain on his Patreon page, and only time will tell.