Take-Two Cracks Down on GTA 5, RDR2 and Mafia Mods
The modder responsible for, among other things, GTA 5 VR has been accused by Take-Two of copyright infringement. Will the matter end up in a settlement or abandoning the project?
Developers somemtimes have very extreme relationships with mods to their games. Some credit them for their success and appreciate the time some are able to spend on expanding their beloved titles. Others go to war with modders, accusing them of preying on the popularity of their products. Take-Two Interactive has once again shown that it is closer to the latter group.
Luke Ross is the creator of VR mods for, among others, Grand Theft Auto 5, Red Dead Redemption 2 or the Mafia trilogy. Yesterday, the news broke on the Internet that Take-Two demanded their removal, citing copyright infringement (DMCA).
The modder says he does not have much experience with the law, but nevertheless believes that the charges against him are wrong.
"None of my modifications were created using software owned by Take-Two, were not intended to replace their games, nor were they created to exploit the studio's intellectual property."
Ross publishes his modifications for free, but a large part of them are available only to supporters of his profile on Patreon. In a recent interview with the Verge he confessed that thanks to this support he earns about $20,000 a month. So it's hard to deny that the brands owned by Take-Two have not brought him any profit.
When the modder voiced his concerns about fighting a huge corporation, Patreon offered to help him get in touch with the relevant Take-Two employees. Talks are ongoing.
Sustaining the original demands by Take-Two would certainly anger the modding community. However, this is not the first time the company has been unafraid to fight for the abandonment of projects based on their brand. Is this purely a desire to eliminate competition, or is it the natural behavior of developers fighting against the exploitation of their titles?
