Paywalled VR modder blasts CD Projekt RED, adds Baldur's Gate 3 support

Kotaku reports the modder behind a paywalled Cyberpunk 2077 VR mod accused CD Projekt RED of following "in Take-Two Interactive Software’s steps" after the studio's legal team issued a DMCA takedown, and has since released a paywalled VR mod for Baldur's Gate 3.

The modder, known as Luke Ross (not his real name, according to The Verge), runs the R.E.A.L. VR project, which adds VR support to dozens of games including Elden Ring, Hogwarts Legacy and Marvel’s Spider-Man and is distributed through a $10 monthly Patreon subscription; The Verge estimated he was earning roughly $20,000 per month in 2022. R.E.A.L. VR previously attracted a DMCA takedown from Take-Two for Red Dead Redemption II and Grand Theft Auto V, and Ross used a January 17 Patreon post to criticise CD Projekt RED for what he called "iron-clad corpo logic" and to argue publishers expect modders' work to be free.

The article notes R.E.A.L. VR was updated to include Baldur's Gate 3 support after that post and says Hasbro, Wizards of the Coast’s parent company, has been liberal with DMCA takedowns in the past; the author wrote they "wouldn't expect R.E.A.L. VR’s Baldur’s Gate 3 support to stick around for long." Many commenters on the virtual reality subreddit sided with CDPR, with one writing, "This is not the first mod the Modder had taken down because he tried to make a Live Service out of it," and another, "Good... Paywalled mods are disgusting."

Key Topics

Culture, R.e.a.l. Vr, Luke Ross, Cd Projekt Red, Take-two Interactive, Dmca